[Sorry if that was a bit unclear, Yil can't read Octavia's thoughts or see anything in her mind, he's tried to make contact with it and found that not even his telpathic powers seem to work on her. Of course, his species are real weak psions so that is no major surprise.]

He fell silent for a moment, shifted uncomfortabley and gazed down at the floor. My own people ... they still have some of the technology that the Ashen taught them to use. I ... I killed another, an accident but no one was there so no one could confirm that I did it deliberately or not. Thus, like those sentenced to die before me I was given the choice to die or essentially die here though at least here I have a chance of winning my freedom.

Until then I am stuck here just as it is stuck, the sole reason why I do not just leave since it cannot follow for long without having to come back here. It is tied to the thermals and thankfully has to feed continously. Once it is dead I can leave ... if not I'm stuck in this prison without bars until it kills me, and try it will. It is drawn to our heat so I'm told, it is drawn to all heat and hence why it's almost always going to or at one of the thermals but since we radiate heat in some small measure eventually it will chance upon use and kill us. Thankfully that can take months as it enjoys the thermals and doesn't stray too far from them from what I've learned over the past few months.

He looked up timidly. There is no reason for you to stay, you can leave the city without harm and since it can only pursue so far if it is aware of you at all then you can get a safe distance away.

[No problem. It all cleared up now.]

Yil seemed to be lost thought for a moment as he gazed down at the floor. It was clear he really did not talk about. It was then that that he told her the true reason he was here. That he had killed another of his kind and he had been sentenced to exist here until he or the cloud creature was defeated. His people still used Ashen technology to ensure that sentence was carried out one way or the other.

So it is drawn to heat? That makes sense since it uses the thermals to feed itself and heal from the damage that is done to it. Have you though about setting fires for distractions so that it is distracted by them and does not follow you. There also has to be someway to shut off the thermals so that it can't recover from the heat? The Princess did not know where the creature was so it was unclear where it could have run off to, she suspected that it went to a different thermal.

The Trixian Royal looked over as her blonde handmaiden, Well unfortunately we need to find more clothes for my handmaiden or she will never survive leaving here. So for right this second we are stuck as much as you are.

He listened as An translated her words shook his head but for his species it was as if he were nodding 'yes' rather than a 'mo'. He began to speak to the handmaiden. It stays primarily at the thermals which make it difficult to harm since it can heal I'm guessing from the constant out put of energy. Fires are insignifant in drawing it in most times since more heat is provided by the thermals.

It hunts by heat though so it can be lured in by small fires and I have used the ruse to trick it when it looks for me it finds small fires of burnt out fires that are still warm. I haven't been able to take advantage of it by luring it in and trying to ambush it since it can sense heat and I cannot mask it completely it would be aware of my presence if I were near.

Clothes ... Yil though, his people had no need for them and thus the word was alien to him, yet in it's context it was easy enough to work out.

The Ashen wore them, there are still a few stores here that have some since there was no need for them they were left here. As for turning off the thermals I wouldn't know where to begin. I do not understand how to operate Ashen tech though I would imagine that it could be done. Of course it is likely at the last one we will encounter the creature, it may flee from thermal to thermal and if all of them are shut off then it would be in a matter of minutes, there would only be our heat and thus it may go into a frenzy to get at us until it past.

An continued to translate for the young royal as she hear Yil thoughts in her head. It was then that Yil stated that the creature always like to hang out near the thermals. Probably because it could heal itself from the thermals and they did provide the most heat. As a result fires were not going to do very much to draw of the creature normally.

However, it turned that that the creature had can be lured off by fires and so a fire could be used to draw attention away from a living person if they wanted to get away. The creature would still notice them if they hiding away nearby since it seemed to attack any small heat source whether it was a fire or a person.

Enru ear's perked up when there that were some stores in the city that would have some clothes, anything to cover up the somewhat modest blonde handmaiden would be a goddesssent in her eyes.

Octavia continued to think about it more. So if we some how that manage to shut off all the thermals it will rage and attempt to kill us. That would probably not be a good answer. She thought about its love of heat and prepared to ask her next question. How about the cold, can it operate in extreme cold like in a refrigerator or anything like that?

It is like a child throwing a temper tantrum when it doesn't get it's way if the thermals are all cut off it will go berserk but like that tantrum it will burn itself out so to speak. Now I have been told that there are few heat sources outside of the city so it would not exist long there should it choose to leave. That is one of the reasons that if you get so far from here that it cannot persue you. Of course, I do not have the luxury of leaving.

Yil thought for a moment about the cold. I have know way of truly knowing but I have been told a few things and suspect others. It becomes sluggish from the cold, I have observed it for a long while now and have noticed that even the warmth of the city isn't that warm for it and hence why it stays at the thermals for the most part.

I would not know how to shut off the thermals but it has been lured out to places before though with it's ability to sense heat if we were too close it would probably attack there and not be fooled, it is intelligent after all. If there were a way of masking our heat signitures or disguising it we may be able to lure it out in such a manner. It is a sentient foe though an may be weary.

[i]Now shall I go with this one to fetch some clothes or ... do you not trust me now to be with her alone and wish to send the other as well, in such a case what of your safety should it come here as unlikely as it is bond to do.

Well that was at least a little assuring, the creature could not survive with out heat. So if the Trixians could get some clothes for Enru they could not be limited to just running around the city where the cloud creature could catch them any time. Until the blonde handmaiden would be as trapped as Yil was.

The doomed blue native mentioned that that the cloud creature became sluggish if it was exposed to the cold. In fact the cloud creature seemed to not even like the warmth of the city and would retreat to the thermals where it spent most of its time. It would seem if you could avoid the thermals you would be somewhat safe from the creature.

Well your right, if we can could somehow we cover ourselves up. The creature may not be able to spot us. If we can lure it into a freezer or something it might even be trapped and forced to endure extreme cold. That is probably your best bet for survival and and to defeat this creature.

It was then Yil had stated the part she did not like to hear. I see what you mean. I can not send her alone and I can send her with An and leave me here alone. I guess now I have no choice but to send you with her as she get clothes.

There technology was superior to his own and while the Ashen exceed both of there's he wondered if she could rig up something to trap body heat and thus fool the creature . He hardly understood how these thermals worked but he listened to the plan that had been offered. Luring the thing into a walk in freeze could be done of course but they had no power save the ones that the Ashen had and he did not know much as far as doping out their capabilities.

He nodded then raised all to ready to depart with the hand maidens. He looked at there then and considered.

[i]Are you certain of this? If it returns then you will be alone against it should it return[./B]

"M'lady. You cannot stay here alone." An was quite insistent on on this, not wanting her Princess being left alone where she was vulnerable. She had already taken that risk once before by going and rescuing Enru and Yil, the shorter handmaiden did not want to risk that again. "One of us will have to stay with you to make sure your safe, Your Highness."

I misspoke, the Trixian royal replied, I meant to say that Yil and Enru should go and get those clothes. But Yil, you must make sure that Enru remains safe. I cannot have her attacked again.

Yil understood, thumbing a hand against his chest then dipping his head in some form of salute. Maybe it was the equivalent to another species simple head nod. He didn't like the idea that they were staying, well a part of him did, he could use the help but at the same time he didn't wish for any of them to get hurt in the process of assisting him. He was a sentenced fugitive and knew that his life was most likely forfeit when he had the sentence to come here.

He departed the building with Enru in tow guiding her along. Part way down one of the streets he paused taking narrower streets to avoid the ones that the creature used more often then not as it zipped around.

There was no use taking chances and he took his roll seriously though they had been gone perhaps five minutes when he turned and stared at her, really stared at her given the shredded clothes. It wasn't a sexual look or one of curiousity and it was perhaps the fact that they were different species and he had not even thought of her in that way.

I am curious, what are those? He pointed at her breasts, evidently the creatures here were all flat chest and the Ashen must not have been top heavy either.

Back at the warehouse both An and Octavia could hear the creature zipping over head. At first they had believed it was searching for them or trailing their companions but Octavia had realized that Aegir had said it was unstable and could not return to the nearby thermal for some time, clearly time was not up hey. No it had to be going to another thermal.

She had thought that maybe the creature was like the humming bird of earth she had read about so long ago where it had to keep moving. That made sense in that she had learned it zipped between the thermals, or maybe ... that was a bit on the absurd but what if the thermals all had different temperatures for one reason or another and uniform for whatever reason. That made less sense since it would probably have settled at it's favorite thermal. Maybe it was a combination of the two.

A thought had occurred to her then, just how did Aegir get it to depart the thermal, what sort of control could he exert over it? Could they use that to lure it someplace or was that a one time thing? The thought hadn't occurred to her earlier, she was so worried about saving An and Enru, she knew time was a factor too and well she was caught up in the moment but now without that urgency pressing in on her she was able to analyze the situation a bit better.

Yet another thought did occur to her to. If Aegir could drive it off was he actually controling it in some fashion? She dwelled over what she knew of him, realizing that he had not been violent with her thus far and looked as if he could easily overpower her if it came to that, and wasn't he here collecting that stone? Would he have sought to linger here longer than he had too? There was that brief flash of gamma radiation, then nothing, not even residual energy so she was left wondering if Aegir had indeed done that though exactly how was a mystery though it probably had to do with that stone.

Octavia was at least felt better that to see the four armed being thump a hand against his chest, while dipping his head in some sort of bow of respect. Yil's culture at least had a way of saluting, and it seemed to be something they took seriously. Hopefully serious enough that he will make sure that no harm will fall upon Enru, the blonde handmaiden had suffered enough. With luck she could avoid any more problems.

Yil and Enru bean to move out and away from the old building. Yil directed to a street that was bit more narrow, it rapidly became clear to the blonde handmaiden that it was difficult to see anyone unless you were on that street. Which provided a bit of safety from the cloud creature should come passing by.

As they made their way down the street, the tall handmaiden soon realized that the blue skinned alien was really staring at her. Staring at her entire body. The Trixian was embarrassed to have someone staring at her in the remains of her clothes. The only thing that somewhat relieve the embarrassment was that Yil was looking at her with curiosity and not lust.

Still the blonde handmaiden covered her chest as he pointed at her breasts, "T-they are breasts we use to provide m-milk for our y-young to provide nutrition for them until they are o-old enough to eat on their own."

Octavia was giving some orders to An, when she suddenly heard the creature zipping over head. Almost instantly the brunette handmaiden's training took over as she held up her finger to her lips to warn Her Highness to remain silent. Leaving the Princess in the center of the building, the short handmaiden began to move to the edge of the building to see if she could spot the creature through a window.

The creature kinda made a humming sound that like what she had heard Earth humming birds made the world. It seemed to moving back and forth between a few thermals. Maybe it had a favorite thermal for whatever reason or two that it moved back and forth between the two for energy. Maybe but why, were the two give out more heat than the others? Maybe it was the radiation that they produced? Octavia was not really sure.

All that the Princess was sure that Aegir was able to drive of the creature at least temporarily. He did say that its mind was very chaotic. Would he be able to drive it into a direction of his choosing, maybe even lure it into a refrigerator or something. It would definitely be very convenient if he could. It would give them away to defeat this cloud creature and make the city safe again. At least that what the Princess hoped.

An watched the cloud creature though it did not dwell here longer than necessary and thus flew off without an incident. She debated about why the creature zipped around so much though for what reason was anyone's guess.

You are still in the city. I can still sense you and know you haven't gotten too far. It is curious why your assisting the native so much since the challenges he faces are, well difficult for him to overcome on his own. That should be clear that his people expect him to die here.

Aegir's words pressed into Octavia's mind like a warm knife sinking in between her ribs.

Yil nodded at Enru. They are full now of milk? That's a lot of milk. If they are drunk do they get smaller until there's nothing too them? How do you drain them? May I taste it? All innocent questions out of curiousity. He stilled for a moment as he looked skyward foe the creature, couldn't see it but heard it then took to moving.

Let's go.

An breathed a sigh of relief of the as she saw the cloud creature, now if Enru could find a set of clothes, perhaps the handmaidens could convince the Princess to get out of this city.

Octavia had no way to respond to the Aegir, not with out letting An know of him and risk the chance of her finding about her bargin. Still she was not sure why she was helping Yil either considering he lied to her. Maybe she was doing it because it felt wrong to abandon him after he was helping Enru get clothes.

Enru gave a soft sneeze, making her wonder if she had a bit of cold. Of course, there was the Trixian proverb about people elsewhere talking about her. Yil seemed to be full of questions, questions that made Enru feel very uncomfortable. The blonde knew they were innocent questions but it still did not make her feel any better. "Those are a bit too personal for me to answer. I would rather us move on."

Yil nodded to her, [i]of course,[/i[ and just like that his questions melted away. He may have been thinking them, curious about the answers though not asking such absurd things. Perhaps he would have asked for a medical book if he could read their language but he hadn't. A short time later they were braking into a shop and Yil was bringing her through a department store.

The bras were small and designed for and A cup in mind and while the Ashen weren't top heavy they thankfully came in a wide variety of sizes and weights so finding something suitable could be had by grabbing something larger. She heard the thing zip over head once again as she looked through clothes.

Aegir was unable to read her mind, Normally this would be easy, he could have a conversation and the other person did not have to speak but could simply think their answers. But he was so use to doing so that he forgot that communication would be one way. Sure he could converse with her over long ranges though he was willing to bet that she had a shorter range than he and had to see her target. From here he could sense her brain waves, could sense her general position and due to her unusual empathic connection, her mood but as far as the thoughts went she still had been shielded which intrigued him a bit. He could not influence her mind easily and thus had to work just a bit harder to get her aroused and keep her there on that high.

But the pair heard the creature return, the procceding gush of wind was loud in their ears as the creature set down outside the warehouse, the sound getting louder as it approached the building at an even pace.

Enru gave a sigh of relief as Yil seemed to be at least understanding enough to not ask more about questions. Maybe An could explain better, she was a bit more willing to discuss things of a sensitive nature than the blonde was. But that could wait until they got into the clothing store they had found. Well the place seemed to be something more than a clothing store, but An was not that picky at the moment.

Soon the two of them found what they were looking for, bra to cover up her breasts. The Ashen seemed to be pretty small in the chest as the first the blonde handmaiden tried on were too tight. The Trixian tried on some of the bigger bras though and eventually she was able to find one that fit at least somewhat comfortably. The woman was about to go grab a blouse to wear when suddenly she hear the cloud creature coming right towards her building. The blonde immediately ducked behind a nearby counter, but it was a false alarm as the creature continued to fly straight on by to somewhere else.

Suddenly Octavia heard the creature approaching the warehouse once more. However instead of zipping by it sounds like it settled somewhere nearby. And it was getting louder as if it was approaching the building. An eyes got wide, "We need to get out of here Your Highness, quickly we need to get to back of the warehouse."
But the pair heard the creature return, the procceding gush of wind was loud in their ears as the creature set down outside the warehouse, the sound getting louder as it approached the building at an even pace.

False alarm, Yil's head perked up when he heard the creature. He moved to the side of the window trying to look outside as Enru ducked behind the counter. He knew that hiding only delayed the inevitable since it could sense heat. It may have been difficult at ranges, buildings could mask their heat signitures somewhat but he wasn't sure how it worked. But the creature moved on.

Neither had been aware of how the creature worked, for it wasn't at the current thermals long before it gathered excess energy, once it hit it's peak it went into a homicidal rage until the levels of it's energy slipped away. It was the reason why it zipped by them with a care half the time.

It was close to reaching that point, it's levels dropping some when An shot it earlier but now it's levels increased and was greater than it had been. It took another route on it's way back to the thermal that it was driven out of. When last it knew the people it fought against where here so with a little bit of seraching it followed the reidual thermal energy which made the air displaced a little warmer. In a sense it was like leaving foot prints if you were sensitive to such energy.

Thus it tracked them to the warehouse. A moment later the door was bursting into splinters, the gale forced creature erupting into the room right behind that, seeing An first it sent a bolt of electrical energy at the handmaiden followed by a blast of air.

Currently the princess was disengaged though for how long was anyone's guess, the creature was full of energy and could simply overwhelm the hand maiden not fearing her weapons given the level of it's energy levels at the moment.

This, however, present them with an unknown chance, for it was still denied from returning to the nearest thermal to heal and could only regenerate now using heat, expending some of it's energy to do so. In the thermals it regained thermal energy with each passsing moment, drawing enough power to heal more damage then they were inflicting. Now at least there was a chance to drain away some of that energy, possibly even kill it though before it was close to being dead it would probably retreat to a thermal to heal, then come back once it's energy levels had been unstable again as they were now.