Secret Visits and Talks of War [Closed]

Andy woke slowly, suddenly feeling cold and stretched a bit before trying to wrap his arms back around Zara, only to find she wasn’t there. Confused and still very sleepy, he looked in the bed beside him, finding it empty. He pouted and sat up quickly, looking around, confusion taking over his expression when he didn’t see her. “Zara?” Scratching his head, he got out of bed, finding it hard to see since it was still dark and there were no lights.

Managing to find his boxers, he tugged them on along with the rest of his clothes before peaking out into the hallway. Despite the fact that it was well lit, he couldn’t see Zara anywhere. Sighing a bit, he wondered if she was freaking out about what had happened between them and that’s why she was hiding somewhere. Andy bit his lip and lowered his gaze to the ground, deciding he needed a walk. Not that he wanted to think about what they’d done, but he wanted to give her a chance to go back to her room if she wanted. Maybe Zara was just hiding somewhere, hoping he’d leave her room?

He ran a hand through his messy hair as he walked alone. If he’d thought that she was going to be upset with him then he wouldn’t have done it. But they were both drunk and neither had really thought it through. He couldn’t think of anything he’d said that could lead her to think that he had more feelings than he let on… Andy didn’t want to tell her like that. If he did finally tell her, he wanted it to be in just the right way, at just the right time. At this point, neither of those seemed to be in the moment he was living in.

Zara didn't know how long it had been since she had come to wash up. Too long, she assumed, but she didn't want to move. She couldn't stop herself from crying now - see this was why she never let herself do it! Once it started, it never stopped. Sniffling, she cried and hid her face in her hands. Her whole body was ice cold, but she didn't want to go back to Andy and wake him up by crying like this. Still, she was going to get sick if she stayed this way. Getting up slowly, she dried off and put her clothes on, shivering violently still as her torn clothes did little to warm her up. Picking up her things, she slowly started back to her place, still quietly sobbing.

She couldn't keep doing this! Leading these people, and to what? Nothing! They had gotten no further in bettering their lives because she had no idea what she was doing! The only thing she'd managed to do was getting a few lucky tidbits of news from above so that she could turn them over to Andy, the only one who could actually do something about it. Maybe Andy would take over for her...and Zara could just quietly apologize to everybody's lives she screwed up and crawl into a hole for the rest of her life. She was in way over her head.

Not paying attention, she ran right into somebody. She hadn't expected anybody to be up, so she quickly wiped away her tears and did her best to stop sobbing as she looked up at the man in front of her - her efforts didn't help much as she started to shake again. She really needed to hold it in - she didn't want him to think all of this was because of earlier. She had moments like this where everything was just awful, but it couldn't have come at a worse time. She remembered the first time this had happened in front of Andy - it had taken so long to convince him that it wasn't his fault, she vowed never to let it happen in front of him again. Now what?

Andy gasped slightly as someone ran into him, coming from a different direction that he hadn’t seen. Looking at the person in front of him, he realized that it was Zara. It only took another second before he noticed that she was crying. Not crying, sobbing, and he couldn’t understand why. Had the whole sleeping together thing really upset her that much? Why couldn’t she just tell him about it? If she really did trust him as much as she claimed, she should be able to tell him stuff like that! But then… he hadn’t told her about his feelings, so he figured they were probably about even.

As she looked up at him, the thought of those tears being because of him drifted away and all he became concerned about was making her relax and hopefully stop. Moving closer to her, he slowly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him gently, holding her close and rubbing her back. “You know I hate seeing you cry” Andy said softly, keeping her close to him and kissing the top of her head.

Zara could only stare at him for a moment as she tried to center herself and stop the crying, but when he pulled her into his arms she just let it all go again. Wrapping her arms around him, she sobbed into his chest. She couldn't stop herself - he was her only way of feeling better. He always had been. Even when he wasn't there, it was the thought of letting him down that made her stop feeling sorry for herself.

She sniffled as she heard him speak, the first time since they had slept together. Zara shook her head quickly and tightened her arms around him slightly. "I'm sorry." She didn't like upsetting him, and she knew that was what she was doing. She had to let him know. "It's not your fault... I'm a bad leader...I'm sending all these people to their deaths and they're just following me blindly..." More tears fell. It sounded even worse when she said it out loud.

Andy’s heart hurt as Zara told him what was on his mind and he hugged her to him tighter. “Zara, that’s not true” He said softly, pulling away slightly to look down at her. “I’m serious. You’re a great leader. All these people are safe because of you” He wiped away her tears gently and smiled down at her. “I know it’s really difficult, and it sucks. But you’re doing the best you can, and believe me it’s pretty damn good”

He poked her nose to try and make her smile, and rubbed her back gently. “Now quit being silly. I know how it is to doubt yourself, but you’re doing great, okay?” Andy kissed her forehead gently and led her back to her bedroom. “Get some sleep, okay? We have a lot to talk about later…” He slowly let go of her, not sure if he should go back to his own room or if he should go with her.

Zara smiled at him gently and relaxed a bit. He always had the best ways to calm her down. Even if her thoughts hadn't gone away, she never felt as upset about it as much as she had been. This time was the same. She still had no clue what she was really doing, but Andy thought she was doing a great job. That had to mean something since Andy himself was a great leader.

"I guess I'll see you bright and early tomorrow? We'll have some breakfast and go back up to the city to see what we can find. I know you hate it down here, though you still won't tell me why." Zara wasn't really sure if she wanted him to stay with her, but since she wasn't really sure what to make of "them" or if there even was a "them". If only he would say, or do something to let her know what he thought. Was it just a stress-reducing fuck? God knows they both needed it, but it felt different. It wasn't just a fuck....it was more...gentle...he was so...there weren't any real words to describe it. Looking up to him, she sighed. Should she just go to bed?

Andy knew that Zara just needed encouragement from him. Leading a lot of people did tend to stress out a person, especially when it seemed that there was no real direction that they could be led to. He understood completely how she felt - not because he really felt that he was doing a horrible job, but because he was truly concerned for his people, all of them, and it was a lot of constant work to keep up with which took its toll on even him.

As she spoke, he listened, but his concern for her didn't fade. What if he went to bed and she continued to cry? Maybe, just this once, he should stay the night with her. It would make the night underground more bearable. He hated it under the earths surface. He couldn't see his beloved sky, and he felt far too close to the demons. "If umm... It's not crossing a line.." He said softly before looking up at her, a slight tinge of pink to his cheeks. "I'd like to stay in your room tonight"

Zara stared at him. He was asking to stay the night with her? Why? She wished she knew...but, she was exhausted...and she was still wet and cold. Having him close would keep her warm, and if she was ever going to stop being stubborn and admitted what she felt...She really liked him. Smiling a bit, she didn't answer, but took his hand and went back inside with him. She was exhausted, and it was very early in the morning.

Setting the towel aside, she undressed - well aware of his eyes on her - and pulled on a loose oversized shirt to sleep in. Crawling into the bed, she stopped for a minute, before bending over to pick up the blanket, aware of her shirt riding up her back. Looking over at Andy, she studied his reaction before sitting back up pulling the blanket over her.

"Well? Come on, I'm tired. Let's get some sleep." Her emotions were still going crazy, and she figured a good night's sleep would do her wonders. After she was rested, she could figure it all out with a clear head. For now, she just wanted to sleep curled up against Andy's side. How in the hell did it come to this? Just earlier today, she had a knife pressed to his throat in jest, and now....now they were sleeping in the same bed after actually having SEX. What?

Andy smiled softly as she pulled him into the room, stretching tiredly as he walked in. Just as he was reaching to pull off his shirt, Zara dropped her towel and he immediately froze. Even though he'd just seen her naked, it never got any less surprising how great her body was. He blushed a bit at his own thoughts and shook himself mentally, finally pulling off his shirt and acting like he hadn't been staring.

This girl was full of surprises. His eyes caught her bending over and he involuntarily bit his lip as he watched. Andy blushed as he was caught and smiled weakly. He hadn't meant to stare, but I mean come on. He was attracted to her, and his eyes just couldn't help themselves.

He nodded quietly and tugged his jeans back off, leaving only his boxers and getting back into bed with her. It was so weird how fast things could change. One minute they're playfully fighting each other and now they're cuddling after sleeping together. But he didn't regret a single thing that happened. Smiling softly, Andy wrapped his arms around her and held her close. It was nice to be like this with her, even for a little while. He closed his eyes slowly, a soft smile on his lips.

Zara awoke at the same time she did every morning. It was early still, and she was exhausted having been up all night dealing with all this shit, but it was the next morning and she was moving on. What happened last night - all of it - was last night and last night alone. As of now, to Zara, it never happened. It was the promise she had made herself. Life was too short not to indulge every once in a while, but she had to act now as if it were only a dream. They had bigger problems to deal with.

Today they were going to be going up into the city to try and scavenge anything they may need, and hopefully some information while they were at it. Zara had a new snitch working up in the entertainment district, and it was time she sought him out for information. Having Andy along would help. It would be good to introduce the two (although she would not mention he was the leader of the Rebels...she didn't want to kill the guy! It was way too dangerous to reveal that kind of information...Nao didn't even know she was a leader herself).

Getting up, Zara brushed her hair a bit and rebraided the side. She always enjoyed her rebellious look. It suited her. Smirking in the mirror, she spoke quietly to herself. "You're a crazy ass bitch. Now go out there and save the world." The little pep talk she spoke to herself every morning was a secret she shared only with herself. She figured it would seem to silly to anybody she would try to explain it to, and to be honest she was a little embarrassed that she needed it, but she really did. It was the only right way to start her day. Otherwise, she would not have the confidence to do what she needed to do.

After getting dressed, she grabbed her weapons: the small dagger Andy had given to her all those years ago went into hiding in her right boot, another less impressive knife hidden in her side belt and a bow and quiver of arrows sat by the door. She wasn't sure if she would bring them today. They were going into the city and carrying weapons like that around would only bring attention. The bow and arrows were mostly when she dared venture out at night, or into the forest to hunt. She never really hunted as Andy had always brought them food and it hadn't been necessary. Though lately the rations he brought had been slim to none. She figured the demons were killing off the animals too fast and they were harder to find. Andy's people needed to eat too - it was probably time she started providing for her own again.

Sighing quietly, she planned for a time to go out and hunt. It was getting colder out now, and the only jacket she had didn't keep her very warm when she went out. In the winters she couldn't afford to spend a large amount of time outside...but now, she would have to.

Looking over at Andy, she saw he was still sleeping - the lazy ass. Raising a brow at the way his body hung half ways off her bed, she smirked a bit. Going over quietly, she leaned over near his face and grinned. She knew the perfect way to wake him up - though she wasn't sure how he would react to it.

"ANDY, THE ROOF IS CAVING IN! WAKE UP!!!" She screamed, feigning fear and distress before sitting back and grinning and watching the beauty of her plan reveal itself.

Andy was having a great dream - he was flying through the sky, enjoying how the air flew through his feathers and hair. He'd missed this, flying around freely without fear of being shot down by a demon. His peaceful dream was interrupted though, by someone yelling. At first he couldn't make it out. Looking down at the city below him, he tried to locate who was talking to him. Suddenly his wings were gone and he was falling towards the city below. He yelled in fear, trying to grab anything that would save him.

Jumping so high into the air, Andy fell off the bed and on to the floor with a loud 'oof'. Panting, he sat up and looked around quickly, still confused from his dream and what she'd been yelling at him. "What the hell?!" He yelled, moving a hand over his face and trying to wake himself up a bit more. "I was having a great dream, thanks" He sounded quite annoyed as he got up off the floor and put himself back on the bed, though he was sitting up this time.

Andy sighed and started to get dressed. "You better watch out, I'll get you back for that one" He warned as he put on his shirt, using his fingers to try and make his hair look a little bit less messy. He was not impressed, but he was usually very grumpy in the morning. Especially when someone pulled a crappy prank like that on him.

Zara only smirked at his response. She knew how grumpy he could be in the mornings, but she didn't really care. "Come on, let's get something to eat and move out. There's a lot to do, and it's getting close to winter which means the days are a lot shorter. Which means we have even less time. " Giving him a look she wandered into the common area with him and grabbed a couple of slightly overripe apples, tossing one at him.

Eating quickly, she started up the tunnels with him. "First, we should go into the market and see what we can find, and then after...I have somebody for you to meet. he doesn't know who we are, but he's agreed to help the renegades. I never told him I was the leader....he hasn't proven himself yet, but I've left him be for a while now. he's probably got at least some information for us. "

Looking back at him, she smiled. The grumpy look suited him well. She didn't doubt he'd find a way to get back at her, but she'd stay on her guard. He had a good way of getting her back for pranks like that, and she knew it wouldn't be pretty.

Andy grumbled to himself as she spoke and pulled on the rest of his clothes. He hated being woken up - absolutely HATED it, with every fiber of his being. He sighed and nodded to her, already plotting his revenge as they started to move out. Sure he realized that he was pouting and that wasn't very masculine of him, but he really didn't care. If he was mad, he was allowed to act mad. If he wanted to pout, he was going to pout. It was that simple.

"I understand the concept Zara, lets just get going" He replied to her when she spoke of the shortening days. It was getting harder and harder to hunt for his people, but thankfully his garden was still surviving the frost. They at least had some food.

It made him a bit nervous to go into the markets, not that he'd ever admit it. If he so much as said his name, demons would be on him in no time. They'd heard of the Andy Black, leader of the Rebels, but they still had no idea where he was located. But he knew that the market was a place that he needed to visit and therefore he'd go without fear. Even if that got him into some trouble.

While it was initially entertaining to watch him acting like a child after being woken up, Zara wasn't in the mood for playing right now. She wanted to work - she needed to, and she was still having the voice in the back of her head saying she didn't know what she was doing. It was probably right but she was going to try as hard as she could to make sure she tried as hard as she could. Andy being a pouty child wasn't helping that. So, she ignored him.

Although she did make sure to keep him near her. The market was dangerous for both of them, and they were each other's back up. Once out of the tunnels and in the sun, Zara shielded her eyes from the sun - as weak as it was, it still bothered her eyes after being in the dark for so long. Her eyes were probably horrible and if they'd been in a normal society still, she would need glasses most definitely. However, if they were still in that society, she would not have spent a portion of her life as a sex slave, or living in tunnels for her short adult life.

Many a times, she'd considered moving her group out into the forest with the Rebel's, but it was not practical. Everyone needed the eyes in the city and that's what she provided. A lot of people didn't want to leave the city either - it was their home - and those people needed protection. Sighing a bit, she continued through the streets without a word to Andy - though she silently made sure he was still close.

The streets were not overly crowded, but they were not empty either. There were many a starving people laying in the streets, and she had to avoid looking at them so that her heart would not be weakened. The merchant's tables were near and as she approached, she looked across them. There was not much that she could afford at this time, but her people needed food. She had only a few candles to trade for food but she would make it could.

Looking at the merchant, she glanced over the meat. "How much for ten pounds?" She watched as he looked over her, obviously displeased. She knew she didn't look the greatest in her torn clothes, but she was certain that she couldn't look much different than any other he sold to, and yet....he had an attitude towards her. "Too much...you could not possibly afford it! Now move on!" Zara was really not in the mood to deal with an ass like that, but the meat was good and her people needed the nourishment now more than ever. A few were getting weak and sick, and a good meal would certainly help.

"I can trade a dozen candles for it..." It was really all she had. She'd brought a dozen with the hopes of maybe finding some milk or a good jug to bring in water, but this was important and if it was all her people had to offer, she could only get what they would give her for those dozen candles.

She watched the man consider it - only briefly - before he laughed in her face. She frowned and took a step back. She was angry. It was frustrating! She hated men! Why were they always acting like children!? Both Andy and the Merchant! It must be something in that Y chromosome. "Listen here, you jerk..." She started on what would be a very promising threat, her hand on the dagger hidden in her belt. (The one from Andy that was hidden in her boot was just too far away for a quick grab. Besides, she didn't like using it on wasted blood. It was prettier clean.)

Really, she was ignoring him now? After she'd pulled that prank on him and made him grumpy? Yeah, that made sense. Andy rolled his eyes and fixed his long hair, looking at himself in the murky mirror to straighten his appearance. It wasn't like he wanted everyone to know they'd spent the night together - even though he was fairly certain by this point everyone knew what had happened. He fixed his clothes and put his gun in the back of his pants.

He followed her up the tunnel and into the sun, sighing with relief when the weak rays hit his face. He always felt so uneasy being underground, but then, angels weren't meant to be underground. Which was why he'd placed the rebels in the forest. They had to be careful with what they did, because demons tried to go through the forest to try and find any escaped slaves. None so far had found the Rebels camp, but that was thanks to a little angels magic. He and some of the others had put a barrier around the camp to protect the people inside. It was getting tricky now that they were trying to expand and build cabins for the people to try and keep them warmer during the winter months. Andy hoped to find some more angels to help make the barrier stronger.

Andy came out of his thoughts about the camp as they reached the market. Right now he had to focus on what the camp could use, and try to find anything to bring back. He had some seeds that he could trade, as well as some fruits and veggies. He knew what he had was rare, especially with the kind of condition his things were in. He even had some tools to trade if it came down to it.

Looking around at the different stalls, he followed Zara down the street, trying to find anything to take back to his camp as he kept close to his renegades leader. He knew she could handle herself well, just as he could handle himself, but it was always nice to have back up just in case things got too hairy.

He stood at the table with Zara as she stopped, looking at the other things that the man was selling while she tried to negotiate with him. Andy looked at her as she started to get angry with the man and touched her shoulder as she reached for her knife. "Don't bother Zara..." He said quietly before glaring at the man. "Look, you wanna sell shit? Then sell it... I've got seeds I can trade, and I've got some vegetables.. Though I don't know why I should, who knows what the fuck that is or where you got it from" He raised a brow at the man. "Take one of our offers before your stupid meat goes bad already"