Owner	Pose
Bai Wuyun	It's a relatively cool night, with the temperature in the mid-forties. It's dark, clouds having drifted in to cover the stars and moon and block their light. The light that's here is artificial, cast by the streetlights and what lights might be within the park itself. The light which falls here and there in the park manages to find an unusual thing to illuminate. A dribble here, a series of droplets there, a smear of transfer on the leg of a swingset. It might be difficult to tell what the substance itself is, but it's a liquid that's somewhat viscous. Similar to what blood would be. And yet... it doesn't look right. It's dark blue and the light gives it a strange rainbowy iridescence. The trail started well beyond the park, but the directionality of it led into the park. Some of the droplets have significant space between them and others are closer together. In a sheltered spot, beneath the spreading and low branches of an old oak tree, and partially hidden by a stand of bushes, is where the trail seems to stop. The large creature that rests there, out of most of the light, is feline in nature but unlike any feline on this particular planet. The feline is breathing hard, trying to catch his breath, his mouth open and tongue slightly sticking out as he's panting. He's been running, until he was fairly certain he was safe. That had coincided with arriving here, and then he'd found this spot to try to hide as best he can. He lays half on his side but is partially upright, his head a bit lowered. The dark blue liquid spills from his hindquarters down his hind leg, soaking the fur of his spotted coat. His five tails are still, resting on the ground, tucked in close against him. There's nothing he can do to help himself. Bai Wuyun has tried and failed. He's stuck as he is, at least for now.
Willow Rosenberg	Earlier tonight Willow tried to talk with her friend Nick about her other friend Henri. To no avail. Once again she'd felt stupid, and put down. Why was it, when she decided to do a thing, everybody told her how she should have solved it. Even her special sandwich (a bean burrito) didn't sound so appetizing in the face of Nick's talking to her. "The thing is," she babbled to herself, "They weren't there. They didn't watch Henri spout off. If I would have told him outright, he would have hated me. And still might not have visited her. Heck.." She found one of the park benches at the edge of the building's park. "He might have told me - made me promise - to never go near her again. And what good would that have been?" "Nothing! That's what."
Bai Wuyun	Footsteps. The feline hears them, and he lifts his head slightly, his ears perking in the direction of them. He softly chuffs on the air as he breathes, attempting to catch the scent that belongs to the footsteps. One of his tails flicks slightly, swishing across the ground and bringing a sound along with the motion. The smell of food initially overwhelms the smell of the person that belongs to the footsteps. There's a grumble that rises from the feline, a sound that's more pain and discomfort than Bai Wuyun would prefer for it to hold. He hurts. One of his ears flicks, and though he pays attention in listening, there's only one person that he hears. His tongue flicks out, licking his nose. The voice is familiar to him, as is the scent of her, when it reaches his nose. It takes him a moment to shift his weight and pull himself up to be sitting up. His whiskers twitch and move a bit, and he watches her for an uncertain moment. He's met her once before. Is it enough to trust her? He exhales a grumble as he lifts himself off the ground the rest of the way. Slowly, he takes a hesitant step out of the shadowed area where he'd been hiding, to approach her by a few steps. There's a limp in his steps, to favour that wounded leg of his.
Willow Rosenberg	Willow flumps on the park bench. Admittedly, at the edges of the apartment's park the light was less bold than beside the entrances to the road, or the apartment. Out here, on the outskirts of the park was quiet, and peaceful. And chilly. Summer was definitely gone! But Willow didn't want to go upstairs yet. Even if Buffy was her best friend, there wasn't enough time to separate the alternaBuffy from the realBuffy, and the alternaBuffy had made her feel bad about herself. No. For a bit she needed to feel the nature around her. Now, she didn't hear a voice, but the grumble of pain was unmistakable. "Who's there? I've got a gun! Don't get any ideas!" Willow didn't have a gun. She didn't even know how to shoot one. A knife? Sure. A sword? You bet. (Not the best, but she could hold her own for maybe a minute or two - enough that her friends could rescue her. That is if she didn't use her magic! "Come out so that I can see you."
Bai Wuyun	Tilting his head a touch to one side, the large feline watches her floomp onto the park bench. It's a curious thing. His tongue flicks out, licking his nose, and his tails lightly flutter a little bit behind him. He's uncertain, and a little bit wary. He watches her for a long moment, the chill in the air not bothering him at all. But then, he has a thick fur coat to keep him warm. There's a soft sound that comes from him when she calls out, when she mentions having a gun. His ears lay back out of concern, and his head lowers a little bit. Can he trust her? Does he have a choice? His tails lower, and there's a soft grumble that rises from his chest. He can't answer her, not with words -- not in the form he's in. And he can't change his form, either. But he understands what she's saying, and he keeps his head lowered out of an effort to seem less threatening. When she bids him to come out, Bai Wuyun holds still for a long moment. It might not seem as though he's going to comply, at least at first. And then, he cautiously steps out. One step and then another, putting little weight on his wounded back leg. He moves out of the darkness, out of the shadows, and into a patch of light. His head lowers a little bit more, his eyes blinking a couple of times as he grows accustomed to the light, and then he lifts his nose to look to her. Though he's rather large, and certainly a predator in form, he's attempting to convey with his body language a non-threatening demeanour.
Willow Rosenberg	Now, she isn't too certain who he is, but she is certain about his injury. "Oh dear!" Willow shouldn't be telling people that she has a gun. In fact all that you would need to draw her in was to be injured, and maybe not be a vampire, and a demon, or some such. And even so, she had helped several of them as well. In other words, she had a soft heart. But Bai had an injury to his leg. He might be powerful in looks, but she recognized his body language to make himself seem smaller, and even so his movements are slow and steady, as though he was making an extreme effort to show her 'I'm not a threat'. "Come sit." She patted the bench. "And let me see." She, too, had slowed her movements down to not scare him.
Bai Wuyun	That the blood is dark blue in colour is likely an odd thing, a very alien thing. He's been bleeding for a while, and that's apparent by the way it's run down his leg and soaked into his fur. He lowers his head a little bit and softly chuffs a bit of air at her reaction, his tongue flicking out to brush over his nose briefly. There's a soft warble of sound that he makes, his gaze holding on her. He's neither demon nor vampire nor any other evil thing. He might have only met her once, but it would seem that he's decided to trust her. If he were to be possessed of the desire, he could try to hurt her -- he could pounce her, tear into her with his horn or claws. But there's no such movement, no such intent within him. Bai Wuyun keeps his head held low, and he holds his tails as still as he can. Once he'd come into the light, he'd held still, to let her be able to see him. It's only when she invites him to come over to the bench that he whuffles a soft breath and gives a faint nod to her words. Then he starts to walk towards her, the toes of his injured leg barely taking any of his weight. Once he's come closer to her, he turns so that side faces her, and then he sinks to the ground before shifting that leg, extending it towards her so she can get a better look at it. The movement brings a grumble of pain from him. It hurts.
Willow Rosenberg	Willow clicks her tongue as she looks over him. "What did you do? You aren't from around here, are you? Jeepers, we really should get you to a hospital." She knows that's not going to happen - at least not yet! "Can you understand me?" She wrinkles up her forehead. "I need something to wash this wound out, and bind it, so that it doesn't get bigger." Really, Willow only knows to wash and bandage a wound. Anything else she can't really do for it. Buffy would be better! But Buffy wasn't here.
Bai Wuyun	There's a soft grumble that he makes to her question, an innocent seeming sound. He hadn't done anything! Or at least, all he'd been doing was having a drink from a pond, which seemed to be quite a harmless thing to him at the time. He tilts his head a bit to one side when she asks if he's from here, and then he gives a shake of his head. He isn't from here, not that he can say more directly at the moment. His ears go back and he lowers his head at her mention of a hospital, his gaze holding on her. He doesn't know what they would do with him or to him in a hospital here. He's wary. Bai Wuyun nods twice when she asks if he can understand her, to make it seem less of an accidental motion and more intentional. It wasn't an easy task, but he's learned English. He tilts his head to one side when she mentions what she needs, and he looks towards the building. A greenspace like this one should have a source of being watered, and that's what he looks for. There's an inquisitive sort of sound that comes from him, and then he turns his head to look back to her.
Willow Rosenberg	"I know, I know. No hospitals." Willow almost rolls her eyes as she says it. "For the number of people who aren't really humans.." Including mutants. "You would expect the hospitals to be more in tune with them. I mean I can pass for standard human, but lots of my friends are Mutants, and they wouldn't" She can pass? Huh? As she talks, he looks about. Luckily she tweaks on what he is looking for. "Good idea! Next week the hose would be tucked away for the winter. I mean we could still open the taps at the building, even in winter.. Come to think of it, they have had a ice skating rink out here. Hrm." As she talks, she manages to get the hose and bring it over. "It's going to be cold I'm afraid. Nothing I can do about that. And then we can see what damage is done. It would be simpler if you spoke one of the languages that I am familiar with. But we'll figure it out." The water /is/ cold. Though she tries to make it a slow flow rather than a jet.
Bai Wuyun	There's a nod of his head when she agrees to no hospitals, and he lifts one of his front paws to briefly touch one of her knees. He's grateful for it, and relieved. He licks his nose, then tilts his head a bit to one side as she speaks of those who aren't human, a touch of curiosity showing in his eyes. People who aren't really human? That makes him wonder about just how common such a thing might be. He studies her for a long moment when she mentions being able to 'pass' for human, and his head moves closer to her before he whuffles her scent. If not human, what is she? Bai Wuyun isn't sure, his exposure to humans and others on this planet has been somewhat limited. He gives a soft rumble of sound that seems pleased when she picks up on his idea regarding the hose. His gaze follows her, his ears perked up as he does. And while she brings the hose over, he shifts his position so that he's less facing the bench and more facing her. And to be a bit more in the light, so that she can see the wound better. There's a nod from him when she warns about the water being cold. He understands. He looks to the wound for a moment, then back to her before giving another nod. The damage is mostly limited to the hole the bullet ripped in his flesh. There's a chuff of a chuckle from him at her mention of languages, and he moves his head to lightly touch her shoulder with his nose, trying to convey he understands her. When the water starts to rinse away the rich blue of his blood, there's a twitch of the underlying muscles at the cold of it, a slight shiver, and then he holds still. His tails softly flick out of the way of the water, and once the blood is rinsed away, then the bullethole will be more visible.
Willow Rosenberg	"I know, It's a bit complicated. You see I am sorta a mutant? Hybrid? Whatever. I can do magic. So as long as I don't use it in front of people, I will pass as a normal human. Then there are mutants, which are all types of them. Some pass for humans, and a couple of my friends don't no matter what they try. Some of them are leery about hospitals. And I should add the outer space kind of people. Like Thor, or Superman. Though Superman has lived most of his life on earth." Willow swabbed off his wound. "You? You look like my friends, but the way that you are reacting you could be from outer space. Did you know, watching for things coming out of outer space is one of my jobs? It is!" Truth - the Watch Tower space station where she watches the sensors in case there is a problem. The wound is clear now, but Willow can't tell if it is clear, or if it holds a bullet. She looks at him querying.
Bai Wuyun	There's a nod from him when she mentions it's complicated. It sure is! In this form, he can deduce a lot of things by scent but there are a lot of things scent doesn't convey as well. He tilts his head to one side as he listens to her, watching her, and he nods when she mentions magic. He makes a sound then, that seems an affirmative sort of noise. He can do magic too! His attention seems to perk a bit when she mentions outer space, his head lifting, though the names she mentions are -- well, alien -- to him. There's a slight flinch from Bai Wuyun when she swabs the wound, and a quiet grumble from him, his head lowering and giving a little bit of a shake. Then he lifts his attention back to her again when she speaks further on outer space, and he gives a nod. He looks up towards the night sky, in the direction of his home (though she has no way of knowing such a thing), then looks back to her. He tilts his head to one side at her mention of watching for things in outer space, curiosity coming to his eyes. He didn't know anything about that. But then, he generally isn't in the cockpit of the ship when it's flying. He looks to the wound for a long moment, his leg shifting a bit, and then he looks back to her. One of his front paws lifts, and he uses a single claw to make a hole in the dirt. He looks to the wound, then looks to the hole, to try to convey that it's a representation of it. Then he moves his paw push a stone into the hole in the dirt. He makes a querying sound as he tilts his head to one side, as though to question if she understands.
Willow Rosenberg	Willow lifts her brows. "You do magic, too? See, we're having a conversation, even without words. Then she frowned. "You might get strange looks looking the way you do, and more so if you do magic. Some people are frightened of magic. Even more so than mutants. Especially because most magic users look like everybody else. Well, that's not entirely true. Some superheroes are famous and nobody is afraid of them.' "Just be careful." But as she looked in the wound, and interpreted his gesture, it was apparent that the wound still had a bullet in it. "Oh dear. See, for this you really should see a doctor. Even if I took the bullet out, you could have infection from this. And to tell the truth, I'm afraid that I could hurt you by pulling it out." Willow chewed on her bottom lip.
Bai Wuyun	The alien feline gives an affirmative nod in response to her question. Yes, he does magic. He just can't right now! His lips turn up in a bit of a grin at her comment about the conversation they're having. He whuffles a breath as he nods. They're making it work with the limitations he has. He makes an inquisitive sort of sound, wondering why people are frightened of magic. To him, it's nothing to be afraid of -- it's common in his home, everyone has magic. When she warns him to be careful, he inclines his head towards her, his eyes half closing as he does. He might no be able to say it in words right now, but he promises to be careful. He grumbles at her when she suggests a doctor, and he shakes his head, his ears laying back. One of his front paws moves to where he'd put the hole in the dirt, and he lightly taps his paw near to it, to draw her attention there. He uses one of his claws to pull the stone out and set it aside, and then he rubs his paw over the hole to fill it in. To 'heal' it. He moves his paw away, looks to the wound, then looks to her and makes an inquisitive sort of sound, to see if she understands what he's trying to convey. He softly chuffs a breath, then moves his head forward to lightly touch one of her shoulders with his nose. It hurt for the bullet to end up in there to start with, he expects it to hurt to get it out.
Willow Rosenberg	"Why are they afraid? Well, in the olden days, before there were mutants, there have always been stories about magic. Often in tandem with stories about demons and the like. Then through the years witches were a thing, but the witches didn't necessarily make magic. Mostly, I think that people are afraid of things they don't understand. I mean, mutants scare people, but more so when people can't see their differences, and suddenly they find out that the person they thought they knew was not the way they thought them to be." "And magic almost always is hidden unless it's being used." Willow nods, "I know. No doctors. I was saying it for myself. I'm a bit worried.." Because she thinks he has gestured to her to pry in out of him. This would be the first time she has done that by herself. Scary! She picked up a stick and gestured to bite down on it, because, d'uh, they always had the victim bite down on a piece of wood when they dug the bullets out. If it was good enough for television, it was good enough for real life. She hopes!
Bai Wuyun	There's an affirmative sound and a small nod when she guesses his question. As she explains, he listens attentively and tilts his head a bit to one side, his ears perked up. This is rather a curious thing to him, but he was raised in a different world where things are quite different. He hasn't learned all there is to know about the history here. He makes a puzzled expression at her mention of demons and witches. People with magic didn't have a special term in his home since everyone has magic. He tries to understand, and he listens to the information that she shares with him. The questions he's left with are more complicated than he can convey with the communication he has at the moment. He makes a sad sort of sound when she mentions magic is hidden, and he gives a small shake of his head. This, he doesn't approve of, and he doesn't particularly like the sounds of it. It would be a hard adjustment to make, to conceal his magic -- it's so much a part of who he is. Softly, he nudges his nose against her shoulder, the gesture a reassuring one. There's a soft sound from him, and he gives a small nod. As though he's trying to convey that she can do it, that he believes in her. That he trusts her. He glances to the wound, then back to her and he makes another reassuring sound, as though to tell her all will be well. The offering of the stick seems... strange to him. He gives her a puzzled look, then does as she'd gestured for him to -- he bites on it. He probably thinks it's supposed to help somehow, but given his sharp fangs -- well, the stick is unlikely to survive what comes! He shifts it around a bit in his mouth, gnawing on it in mild fashion. Then he bobs a nod to her -- he's ready when she is. He keeps his leg as still as he can.
Willow Rosenberg	Sure he trusts her. Does she? After all this isn't scholastic venues, and certainly not magic. The first she knows she is really smart; magic? Enh.. But he trusted her, so she was bound to do her best. Opening the wound with fingers, she dug her way to the bullet. "I found it. Now I have to get my fingers around it.. and.." Suddenly, it was out! "I got it! I really did!" Willow amazed herself. Now what to do about the wound proper..
Bai Wuyun	Bai Wuyun has to trust her. He came out of the shadows and into the light in order to let her see him, in this form he wears. That speaks of a significant trust, given how alien that form is. He has to believe that she can do what he needs her to do. And so he sits patiently, as still as he can, as quiet as he can, and he waits. He doesn't have to wait for very long. When her fingers go digging into the wound, there's a number of crackling and crunching sort of sounds that come from the stick. The claws of his front paws dig into the ground, and there's a slight tremble that passes through him. Then there are more crackling sounds as his sharp fangs pierce and bite through the stick, leaving it in three pieces, two of which fall to the ground. The third piece, the middle piece, it proves more distracting -- which is probably a good thing -- though it ends up spluttered and spit out onto the ground. Wood doesn't have a particularly pleasant taste. But by the time he's freed himself of the stick, she's managed to get the bullet out of his flesh. He closes his eyes and there's a soft sigh of relief that he exhales. Free, finally! There's a slight stretch of his neck, and then he shakes his head as though releasing some tension from within him. There's a soft white light that seems to emanate from him, swirling and gradually growing more opaque. There's a soft flicker that passes across it, and then it eases away. Once it's faded, it reveals Bai Wuyun in the form she might recognize him as from the one time that they'd met. "Thank you, Willow," he says quietly. He rests on his uninjured hip, and he exhales a breath as he eases himself to be sitting up more properly, wincing a bit as he does.
Willow Rosenberg	So pleased was Willow that for a second she almost missed the transformation of Bai.. Almost. "Oh!" Willow blinked. "That's who you were! No wonder you trusted me. Well, kind of. So.. " Willow thought about this. "You must have an allergy to whatever the bullet is made of. Like werewolves can't eject silver weapons. They can be killed with a silver bullet straight to the heart." Not only was she a Scooby, she'd dated Oz who was a werewolf. Amongst other types of supernatural creatures who had been her dates. "Are you okay?"
Bai Wuyun	A small smile ghosts at the corners of his lips, and he gives a small nod to her words. "Yes. This is who I am. And you can see me now for who I am," Bai Wuyun says softly. He is quiet for a lingering moment, and he moves painfully to settle into a cross-legged position there on the ground. "We have only met once before, you and I, but it was enough for there to be trust," he adds, inclining his head slightly towards her. "I do not know, about the bullet. Perhaps. I could not return to this form once it was within me," he says softly, his brow wrinkling a touch. "I am grateful whoever shot it did not have better aim," he muses in a thoughtful tone. He settles his hands, one atop of the other, within his lap. "Mm. In this moment, not entirely," he admits, giving it some consideration. The wound hurts, and he's still bleeding from it. His robes have a hole in them from being shot and his blood is streaked down that side of them. Overall, he could be better. "It will be better, in a few moments," he says softly, inclining his head slightly towards her. His eyes slip closed then, and he focuses within himself, his attention turning to the wound. At least the wound isn't worse than it is, or it would be beyond his ability to heal. It's possible that she would sense the concentration of his magic in the area of the wound, to heal it, to knit his flesh back together. It takes energy from him to feed the magic, and it takes a few long moments before he opens his eyes to turn his gaze to her once again.
Willow Rosenberg	Willow did follow the magic, although healing is not one of the areas that she currently knows. But she tries! Good thing Bai knows it. All she can tell is that he is concentrating from deep within. Usually that kind of magic was deeply personal. She waited until he was done, quietly. "I really am good! Sometimes I drive my friends up the wall because of it. I mean I /can/ do magic that hurts people, but very rarely. And not without a good reason!"
Bai Wuyun	The magic for the healing is something that comes from within Bai Wuyun. His own energy feeds it. With the amount of blood he'd lost, he doesn't take either the time or commit enough energy to fully healing the wound. He stops the bleeding and sufficiently mends the wound. He's known healing for many years -- but on his home, before he died, it had been different. He remains seated cross-legged there on the ground even once he's finished. A smile touches at the corners of his lips, and he inclines his head towards her. "I believe you are good, Willow," Bai Wuyun says softly, his dark gaze resting on her. He draws in a deep breath and holds it briefly before exhaling softly. "I... my magic, it can be both. I can heal... myself, others. But I can also cause harm. I fight when I must... to protect myself, to protect those I care about," he says softly, giving a small nod to her.
Willow Rosenberg	"Well.." Willow sits and looks at her fingers in her lap. "I never learned how to heal. All my magic I learned by myself. Well, I had a teacher for a while. It would be too easy to use the power for evil.. My favourite spell against people isn't a very nice spell. My friend told me it was a dark force user spell." Now Willow doesn't confuse real life and fiction, but she can't help but think that there is a little truth in his warning, despite his joking. "I don't know if I can say with absolute certainty it's only used for protection of those around me." There. Willow told him her secret.
Bai Wuyun	"Mm," Bai Wuyun acknowledges, giving a small nod to her. "To heal, it is not a gift which all have. Even in my home, it is not," he says softly, a thoughtful tone to his voice. He's quiet for a moment, and he moves his hands, bringing one of them to rest on each of his knees. "I have learned some magic by myself, and for others, I had teachers. I have had a number of years to learn," he muses, taking a moment to look out over the garden before his attention returns back to her. He listens to what she says, and he tilts his head a touch to one side. "We are all capable of good, and we are all capable of evil. And we choose a path, every day, with every choice we make," he says softly. One of his eyebrows lifts just a touch, and he studies her closely. "What is your favourite spell to use against people? The one which is dark," he asks, a touch of curiosity to his voice. "Do you use it to protect yourself or the land or do you use it to harm for the sake of harm?" There's more he could likely say on the matter, and yet... he doesn't. At this point, he studies her, falling quiet as he does so.