Lost & WANDERING {KREVLORNSWATH}

[Winifred Burkle]

``WINIFRED BURKLE
KREVLORNSWATH

Fred wandered down the street away from the church. She had just enjoyed a free meal courtesy of some very sweet nuns. She usually had a rotation schedule between the local churches and her dinner schedules. Sometimes, she was given enough money by a kind stranger to splurge on a taco at a nearby taco stand. The alley behind the church was the place she called home. She walked away from the cooling warmth of the setting sun into the dark alley. She used to worry about vampires but with the trusty cross around her neck and a heavy arsenal of holy water, she felt content. Plus it helped that most vampires were afraid of churches.

She held in her hands a bologna sandwich and a fresh apple. She'd managed to snag them to munch on in the morning before she made her way to the next church and the next safe haven. She had been working this way for a long while and it worked for her. She knew the volunteers at the churches pretty well and they would sometimes give her extras because she was so tiny. As she scratched the date on the side of the church where she was going to sleep, she noticed the sound of a distant siren and wondered who was in trouble.

She rarely had trouble from passerby but sometimes she was hustled and tossed around. She didn't mind so much as long as they didn't see the girl underneath the homeless person. She was pretty good at hiding under layers of old coats and random clothing she'd gotten from churches. She always had her hair wrapped up inside the hat that she wore and her face was smudged with dirt. She wanted to look like a boy because it was always easier that way. People might hassle you but at least they wouldn't see it as an opportunity for something even more dirty. She shuddered at the thought and snuggled up closer to her church wall. She realized she was near the street but she didn't want to go any deeper into the alley.

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[Lorne]

``Lorney-Tunes

Lorne moved down the streets of Los Angeles, slowly making his way home after making a quick store run. He was out of bagels again, he didn't understand why he ran out of them so much. He found them to be quite filling, besides, that's all he had time to eat what with the club's reopening and all. Lorne had been on edge these last few weeks, what with the recent champion visits. But one visit had intrigued the green demon a bit. The presence of the blonde slayer, Buffy at his door had been interesting. The girl was a hoot to say the least, no wonder both the vampires with souls had a thing for the little lady.

Lorne hummed as he moved down the block, his shoes moving against the pavement as his red eyes scanned the streets. It was dark, but he wasn't afraid of muggers. Muggers tended to stir clear of a guy with red eyes and hornes pertruding from his forehead. Lorne heaved the brown paper bag in his hand as he moved along, his eyes continuing to dance around his surroundings. The demon prayed that Angel kept his distance from him, he didn't really want to do with it all. Lorne's normally happy features fade as his mind flashes back to that night 5 years ago.

" Come on. I could sing for you."
"I've heard you sing."

Lorne barely heard the sound of the gun going off. It was all happening so fast for Lorne, he could barely breathe. His eyes moved to the gun in his hand as he slowly lowered it, his eyes going to Lindsey as he gripped himself, his eyes shocked and confused as he looked to Lorne. His face was cold as the demon stared at the now dying human before him. It pained him more than anything in the entire world to see him go down. Lindsey may have been a terrible person, but a human being nontheless.

"Why- Why d'you..." Lorne heard Lindsey muttered as he held his bleeding body. Lorne looked down at the gun, his entire body stiff as he looked back up at Lindsey.

"One last job. You're not part of the solution, Lindsey. You never will be." Lorne said, the cold and unfeeling behind his voice unnerved him as he stared down at the man. He watched Lindsey's accusing eyes stare the green demon down.

"You kill me?" Lorne stepped back as Lindsey collapsed to the floor, his red eyes staring at the man as he faded, his life leaving him quickly. "A flunky? I'm not just- Angel kills me. You- Angel..." Then, the man left, his body going limp and Lorne knew was gone. Lorne let out a shattered sigh as he looked at Lindsey's body slumped there.

"Good night, folks." Lorne whispered as he stepped back, still in shock at himself. Then he dropped the gun to the floor and turned, walking away from the scene he had caused. He would have to live with this for the rest of his long life. He would never forgive Angel for this....never.

Lorne sighed, his steps quickening as he walked down the sidewalk, his eyes colder as he did this. He still hadn't forgiven Angel for what happened that night. He had meant what he said, one final job. He was done being a flunky, done being someone's tool, he didn't care not anymore. Lorne then looked to see a church as he continued to walk. That was, of course, until he heard the sirens. Lorne turned around, listening to the loud sound. He sighed then turned back around to see someone leaning against the wall. Lorne looked at them carefully, his red eyes narrowing slightly. Lorne then decided to move on closer to them, noticing that they had a rather small frame.

"Hey there, sweetheart, what are you doing out here all alone?" Then it occured to him that the population of homeless people in Los Angeles has increased. He then sighed, his eyes showing sympathy as he dug into his pockets, feeling for any bills. He then pulled out what looked like a ten and a few singles and sighed, feeling cheap.

"I know it's not much, sweets, but here." He said gently and reached over his green hand to her, the money laying there. He then looked at her face, noticing it was a woman. A very familiar woman but he couldn't really tell in the darkness.

[Winifred Burkle]

``WINIFRED BURKLE
KREVLORNSWATH

Fred took a bite of her apple and smiled. It felt unfamiliar, she hadn't done it in a while, not a real smile anyway. She put on her fake "please feed me" smile at the churches but other than that she hadn't given a genuine smile in a while. The people at the churches were nice and all but she was never sure what she looked like smiling. She hadn't laughed since before, well before that place. She didn't like to think about it, about her nights of running, and her horrible recipe for tacos. She sighed and took another bite of the surprisingly delicious apple.

The green guy walking past her wasn't really someone she wanted to see. She hung closer to the wall and hoped he wouldn't see her. Even dressed in his sharp attire, she knew what kind of demon he was. She just hoped he didn't recognize her as an escaped cow. She couldn't go back there, to a place where her head might get blown off. She heard him mutter some words to her in the form of a question. He looked different from the ones that seemed to inhabit back in Pylea. He was well, better dressed. "Just trying to make it through another night." She said answering his question.

She saw him digging in his pockets and she readied herself to run if she had to. She wanted to believe he was a nice guy but she hadn't looked him in the eyes yet, and so she couldn't really tell what his character was like. She'd developed an ability to read people on the street and it was pretty valuable when she really needed something. She watched as he pulled out some money and her heart lept. She was rarely given money anymore.

She reached out her hand and tried to grab the money from his hand from where she was hidden in the shadows but it didn't work all that well. She stepped out of the shadows and a wind swept by blowing the hat right off her hair. Her long, brown, unkempt hair cascaded down around her shoulders. She sighed and bit her lip before looking after her hat. "My hat!" She said suddenly realizing what had just happened.

"Thank you sir." She said and gave him a kind smile. It didn't feel as fake as her usual smile. She took the money from him quickly and ran after her hat. Once she'd picked it up, she put it back on her head but without bothering to stuff her hair back in it. When she turned around she was surprised to see him still there. She smiled at him again and this time she looked into his red eyes. A shiver ran through her body and her eyes widened as a familiar feeling washed over her. She felt the compelling urge to start singing but she held it back while looking at him with an awkward smile.

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[Lorne]

``Lorney-Tunes

Lorne looked at her, the pity in his eyes very apparent. The homeless upset him, not because they were homeless, but because nine times out of ten, it wasn't even their fault they were out here like this. When he looked down at the poor girl, he could tell that it wasn't her fault she was out here all alone. But when she spoke to him, his look faltered. That voice.. he thought in his mind as she reached for the money. It couldn't be, there was no way, Illyria.

Lorne then watched as the wind carried the girl's hat away and he watched the long brown locks tumble down her shoulders and he gasped, staring at him with shock, sadness, and confusion in his red eyes. They welled up slowly as he watched her thank him, taking the money and giving him that smile. Oh dear god, could it? He thought to himself as he watched her go after the hat. He swallowed hard, his hand running down the front of his blazer, his eyes darting around the alley.

Lorne's eyes then met her's, that same sweet brown, that look of sheer innocence. Lorne gasped gently, trying not to crumble into a blubbering baby, in case this was all a figment in his mind. He took a cautious step toward her, his body not very confident as he shook slightly. What was he gonna say? What could he say? His eyes welled up, almost to the brim as he looked at the face of a long lost friend, one that he thought to be gone forever.

"F-Fred?" Lorne said, staring at her with shock, the sadness choking in his voice as he watched her. If it was her, it would have to be one of the greatest feelings in his entire life. He's lived for a very long time now, yet seeing that smile again, it was like a new apprecation to music, yet it was just her beautiful face. "Freddles?" Lorne asked again, still keeping his distance, praying he didn't scare her off. He couldn't bare to see her run from him, not now. He gripped the brown paper bag tightly in his arm, trying so hard not to let his nerves take over and let the bag tumble to the cold, hard pavement.

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[Winifred Burkle]

``WINIFRED BURKLE
KREVLORNSWATH

She was once again face to face with the man, okay demon. She knew better than to judge him based on the way he looked. Sometimes people, or demons in this case, tended to surprise you and she just had to roll with the punches. He took a step toward her and she subconciously stepped back and away from him. The look in his red eyes made her insides hurt and she just wanted to hug him and tell him it would be okay. She knew that was ridiculous because she barely knew the demon. At least she knew he wouldn't eat her because well, the pyleans had never eaten their cows and she hoped he shared that tradition from home.

"Um, yes. My nickname is Fred." She said taking another step back. How did he know who she was? She wasn't really on anyone's radar and she didn't do anything to hurt anyone. The only people who called her by her nickname were people from back home and some of the kids from her old college that she'd befriended. Since he was neither, her entire body told her to run away. The only thing that held her there was trust. This insane feeling that no matter how crazy things might get in her life, she could trust him. This demon was someone she could trust, she could feel it in her gut.

"Freddles?" She sighed in relief. "You must be mistaking me with someone else. I mean the Fred thing was just a coincidence right?" She said laughing it off. She smiled at him warmly, happy he had just mistaken her for someone and wasn't actually directing his revelations at her. She walked up to him and looked him deeply in the amazing red eyes. It was funny how familiar they felt. She had the feeling that even if she didn't remember anything about the horrible place she'd spent so much time in, she would still remember those eyes.

"Do I know you?" The words left her mouth before she could stop herself. What was she doing asking him that. She would probably remember a green skinned, red eyed, red horned demon wearing a scarf like that. Was it an ascott? She wasn't sure why she was wondering wether or not it was a scarf or an ascott instead of running.

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[Lorne]

``Lorney-Tunes

Lorne knew that it was a long shot, but the way she looked at him, it was almost as if she knew. Was it stupid to act like this, as she stepped back from him. It hurt a little, but he completely understood. Then, when she confirmed his suspicions, Lorne had the urge to pull the petite Texan into his big green arms and hold her forever. It was Fred, their Fred, the one that they thought had been gone forever thanks to Illyria. But when she discarded the 'Freddles', he stopped, knowing that something wasn't right about this.

Lorne stood there, staring at her since he had no idea what to do at this point. Should he just apologize and leave, pretend that this never happened? He could never do that, not when she was this precious to him. He could just come out and say all of this to her, he was scaring her enough as it is. She was trying to let him off easy and he appreciated the kindness. That was, of course, until she came toward him. Lorne looked down at her, his eyes glistening down at her. He wanted to cry so bad for her, but he knew that he couldn't do that, she didn't know him right? When she asked, he wanted to break down but he laughed a little.

"Yes, well, you did. God, I don't know." He said and bit down on his lip slightly before he looked down at his feet before looking back up at her. "I don't know what to say to you, Fred. Except that whatever this is, I'm so happy to see you...and that you're okay." He didn't know what to do, he just wanted to hold her but he knew he couldn't do that. She could freak and kick his ass. "I'm Lorne, does that ring any bells for you?" He asked gently, hoping that it would help if she knew his name, even though his appearance really wasn't that forgettable, at least he hoped not. He stared down at Fred hopefully, every fiber of himself screaming to her that they knew each other, if only she could just remember. He didn't know how all of this was possible, but for now, he really didn't care. He hated seeing his friend like this, in rags, sleeping on the street, it truly hurt him inside. He'd offer her to stay with him, but then again, there was the whole she didn't remember him thing.

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[Winifred Burkle]

``WINIFRED BURKLE
KREVLORNSWATH

"I did?" She raised an eyebrow at him. Something about him seemed familiar but she couldn't recall a single memory that had him in it. It wasn't like she wasn't trying. The pleading look in his eyes was enough to make her want to make something up just to make him happy. She had the feeling that pretending like she knew him might backfire in the end so she decided honesty was the best idea in this situation.

"I suppose I'm alright." She said looking down at herself. The skin on her arms that was exposed through the layers was covered in dirt and she could see the mane of tangled hair that tangled around her face. She tried to brush it whenever she could but sometimes she had no way to get the tangles out. She didn't want to give up completely on her looks but it wasn't like anyone was looking at her anyway. They always looked through her, not at her. As she surveyed her strangely layered wardrobe and bad hair she laughed a bit. "Who am I kidding? I'm a mess." She said smiling at him. It didn't matter what she looked like because apparently he wouldn't care anyway because he was so elated to see her.

A part of her wished she could remember whatever it was that he seemed to think they'd done together. Had he been her friend, or at least did he think that he had been her friend? "You're Lorne?" She said recognition on her face. She laughed a little and covered her mouth with her hand to stop her laughing. She didn't want to make him feel self-conscious but she had definitely heard his name before.

"You're Krevlornswath of the Deathwok Clan?" She said laughing some more. She grinned from ear to ear and laughed. "You're mother would tell some guy named Numfar to do the dance of shame every time your name came up. I remember seeing it when I would come in to scavange for food." She started to laugh some more and then she bit her bottom lip and stopped laughing. She raised her eyebrows at him. "You're that Lorne?"

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[Lorne]

``Lorney-Tunes

Lorne looked at her as if all the hope in the world were mustered in those two little red eyes of his. He wanted her to remember him so badly. he didn't want her to be on the streets anymore, it wasn't fair to her at all. She deserved so much more than this, it upset him so much to see the state she was in. It broke his heart, he just wanted to sweep her up and take her home. He wanted to take care of her, make all of this go away but he knew he couldn't do that, not now.

Lorne's eyes flashed as she repeated his name. Hope rose within him as he nodded. Then, the laughter made him falter a bit. Why was she laughing? What was so funny about his name? That was of course until she said his full name and his eyes widened a bit. What was this poor girl talking about? She hasn't been in Pylea for almost 7 years now, why was she bringing this up. She talked about his mother and his brother Numfar. He nodded when she asked if he was that Lorne.

"Guess they are still hating me over there.." He said, running his hand down the back of his neck and looked down at her. Something was definitely off, he couldn't place his finger on it just yet, but he didn't want to confuse her. He had to handle this delicately, with much needed care. "I left that rotten place...No music, please I'd rather die." He said with a small laugh before he looked down at her, his eyes still sad.

"Look, I know you can't remember me yet, but I promise you Fred...We know each other...very well." He said, hoping that somehow he can reassure her, get her to understand. He licked his lips, his red eyes darting around them for a moment before he looked back down at her. "Come with me, I want to get you off the streets. I promise, you're safe...You can get some hot food, a bath, a bed to sleep in...What do you say Freddles?" He then winced when he realized he called her that again and he looked down, sighing heavily before looking back to her, giving her that sad look again. He just wanted to protect her. He had felt her pain before she did that day on the stairs, those few notes and he knew that she was in danger. He couldn't be that helpless with her again. He needed to save her this time. He needed to protect her from this rotten place that she was dwelling now.

"Tacos?" He finally asked, almost as bribery since he remember how much she loved them, a small smile forming on his face.

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[Winifred Burkle]

``WINIFRED BURKLE
KREVLORNSWATH

"Yeah, I guess a life without music would be really bad." She laughed a little more. She felt comfortable around him and for some reason that scared her. She wasn't supposed to get close to people, because it was too dangerous. Letting people in was too hard and she wasn't sure if she wanted to do that or not. Admitting that Pylea actually happened had been one of the hardest things in her life but making friends was something she wasn't too fond of doing either.

"I believe you." She said and nodded her head seriously. For some reason it was the truth. Sure, he was some green demon telling her that they knew each other and that could mean a scam of some kind. It was just the look in his eyes that told her he was serious. He recognized her and thought she was someone close to him. She couldn't deny him that. The girl he was comparing her too must have really meant something to him if this was how he reacted after seeing her all mucked up. She wanted to believe that he really was talking about her, and a part of her did. She was just too afraid to admit it. Too afraid to admit that she was potentially friends with a green demon.

"Well that sounds..." She hesitated. She didn't want to use this stranger's kindness when she didn't even know who he was. She had no way of paying him back for those types of things that he wanted to give her. She had a half-eaten apple and a bologna sandwich, that was enough for her for now. She shook her head and turned away to retreat back to her resting spot. When he said something she just couldn't refuse. She stopped in her tracks and looked back at him.

"Tacos?" She smiled and turned around. "You really must know me to mention my favorite food as a bribe." She said quirking one brow at him. She sighed and laughed a little. "I don't know why, but I feel like I can trust you." She walked over to him and linked her arm with his. She hoped she didn't smell too bad. She'd used the church shower earlier that day and it felt good to have cleaner hair for once but she was still wearing the same old clothes.

"So, you lead and I'll follow." She said looking up at him into those red eyes once again. This time she was sure there was something kind and warm there and that was all the reassurance she needed. "Oh, by the way, sorry if I smell. After all, I am homeless." She said laughing.

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