StV: Sneaking Out

"Hey, Fox." Goblin perched on a high branch, looking down at the fire that really shouldn't have been burning here in the small wooded area at the back of the estate. "You're out late."

"Couldn't sleep," she said, then drew a breath and forced herself to speak in a friendlier tone. "Come on down, if you like."

Goblin was her own age -- at least, she thought so -- but looked younger, young enough to make their gender impossible to determine at first glance -- and Nightfox had never asked. It wasn't her business. They kept their own schedule and the teachers allowed it, which was already more than she needed to know. 

There was a quiet whump as Goblin landed beside her, their descent softened by their abilities. "Ah," they said. "Fire. I don't see real fire very often."

Nightfox shrugged. "It's cold enough now. And it gives me something to stare at."

"Yeah," Goblin told her. "Me too."

At the moment, Nightfox's configuration was a mix of feline and humanoid. She could change that by an act of will, or it could change by reflex. When she'd first arrived here, she'd felt like she was finally gaining some control over her power; for the last several months, though, it had felt more like she was coming to terms with the ways in which her power controlled her.

"I miss fire," Goblin told her. "I've missed you."

She glanced at them. "You're still my friend."

"You're still mine." They turned their eyes back to the flames. "But you haven't been around."

"No," Nightfox admitted. "I haven't. Not for you, not for anybody."

Goblin was quiet for long enough that Nightfox thought they weren't going to speak further. Then they said, "Can I help?"

Nightfox growled -- frustrated, not angry. "I don't know. I just wish... I wasn't like this. Sometimes. Sometimes it's magnificent and I don't want to give it up. Sometimes I wish I could do this and still be beautiful."

"You are beautiful," said Goblin. "Furry, sure. But look at you. Even with the fur, you're beautiful. Like me, and being short and green. Still beautiful."

Nightfox was surprised by the tears in her eyes. "Thank you," she said after a moment. "And yes, in case you need to hear it from somebody else. You're beautiful too."

"I know," said Goblin, and went back to watching the fire.