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Ace didn't stop. His ears perked now and again as he listened for sounds of footfall or snarling that could tell him if the illusion had worn off. But it hadn't. Not so far as he could tell. He wasn't ready to feel relief yet. Not until they were safely in the Kumpania. The Ravnos Kumpania generally had an understanding with the beasts, the Werewolves stayed away and the Kumpania didn't roam into Werewolf territory. For a moment he thought he heard crashing behind him but he wasn't about to look back, he wasn't going to risk falling with Gremlin in his arms. He felt the head against his chest and it stirred that feeling again. The sheet was soaked and filthy from where his companion had fallen but he still wasn't going to ask them to remove it. For some reason he just couldn't bring himself to do it.

A light suddenly peeked through the tree line, a soft glow. It had to be a fire. Relief blossomed in Ace's chest. So close. That had to be the Kumpania. Just a few more feet. He looked down at Gremlin, his voice a little broken through breaths. "Almost there little ghost, we're almost-" Ace was cut off as something heavy hit him in the back. He lost his grip on Gremlin and hit the ground hard. A growl erupted from the darkness, two fiery orbs narrowed with malice as the Werewolf rounded on Ace. It was the big one. He looked ragged. Claw marks littered his body, bites had been taken out of his arms, legs and shoulders. It looked like whatever Ace had done to him had violent and terrible consequences. His lips curled back to reveal rows upon rows of jagged, bone white teeth. "What did you do to me?" It snarled, obviously whatever hatred it already held for vampires had been amplified tenfold.

Ace shook his head, how did he not hear that thing coming up on them? His eyes searched frantically for the white sheet, trying to make sure he'd at least thrown Gremlin nearer the way out. At this point they were so close he could have thrown a rock and hit the treeline. ********. ********. He'd hoped the illusion would have lasted a little longer. But, given the Werewolf was alone, it must have been extremely effective. Ace wasn't going to sit and try to explain, the Werewolf didn't care, they were going to kill them before he'd cast his illusion and this one sure as s**t hadn't changed it's mind since then. He had to think fast. His back stung which probably meant he'd been on the receiving end of some claws and not just a blunt hit. He got to his feet and backed up a bit, putting more space between himself and the Werewolf. Where the hell was Gremlin? "Gremlin, run for the treeline. Go to the Kumpania." He yelled, keeping his eyes focused on the beast. It chuckled, a sound somewhere between a snarl and a growl. "Yes, run. I'll rip your throat out and then have myself a nice little chase."

Ace kept his gaze firmly locked on the snarling beast, trying to ignore the talon-like claws and rows of bone-white teeth. A flash of lightning ripped the sky in two, illuminating the dark forest for a second and casting the massive shape of the Werewolf into sinister shadows that knotted Ace’s stomach. He had always wondered if it would be a Werewolf that did him in, a typical worry when you wandered the woods at night or traveled the dark roads between towns and cities. Hopefully, he would be wondering tomorrow if it still might one day be instead of finding out tonight. The thunder was loud, he could feel it in his chest as it boomed.

The rain was falling so hard that he was having trouble keeping it out of his eyes. As the Werewolf stepped forward and made his threats the Vampires’ gaze narrowed. The comment about chasing Gremlin, he didn’t like that one ******** bit. His fingers curled into fists as a feeling of intense anger flared deep within his chest and stomach. He hadn’t known his companion long, for some reason that didn’t matter, he wasn’t going to let this Werewolf go after Gremlin. If he was about to be taken out, then he would be taking the monster with him. There wasn’t a chance in hell he was letting it go after the little ghost.

He squared up to his adversary, claws deftly undoing the cuffs on his shirt to give him more room to move. “Well then. It sounds like I can’t let you keep living then, can I Marhime?” He flashed the creature a devilish smile, his eyes practically glowing as he prepped to use his Discipline again. He’d only used it on a single Werewolf. Maybe he had another shot in there, it was worth a try anyway. The beast laughed again, leaning over as it prepared to sprint towards him, claws fanning in anxious anticipation of rending flesh. A movement caught the Elder’s attention and Ace froze as a familiar shape appeared beside the creature, stunned disbelief upon his face. No. Gremlin? The other vampire appeared out of thin air. Luckily the Werewolf was so focused on the male in front of him that he was caught off guard by the sudden appearance. The snarling face began to turn when he caught sight of the white shape in his peripheral vision.

He wanted to be mad that his companion hadn’t run but as the Werewolf turned, he felt an icy fear grip him. Ace’s gaze darkened and the beast roared, paws flying up to claw at its own eyes just as the sheet came down over the top of him. “Get them out of my eyes!” It screamed, flailing beneath the sheet while staggering backward. Using those vicious-looking weapons to scratch away at its own face. The Ravnos reeled a bit, dizzy, that last small horror was all he had in him until a feed and some sleep could recharge his energy. He pinched the bridge of his nose to steady himself and winced, his back on fire now where he’d been scratched. What a mess. Blue eyes lightened again slowly as he looked up to see… a woman running towards him? His puzzlement lasted only a second before realization dawned on his face. It was a woman beneath that sheet! He knew it.

Ace felt strange. Startled by the beautiful red color of her eyes burning in the darkness and, at the same time, lost in them as they locked with his own. Whatever that strange feeling he’d been experiencing before, he suddenly felt it nearly paralyze him. Ace’s mouth went dry. The urgency in her voice and the fear in her eyes was all he needed to get himself together enough to reach for her hand, grabbing it and turning so they could both run for the tree line. “That was so stupid, Little Ghost. Brave as hell. But stupid. Good job.” If he could have laughed, he would have. He was grateful for her, and impressed, even if what she had done had been incredibly risky. It had taken a lot of balls to do it. The glow of light was brighter now, almost there. The bloody screams of the werewolf as he continued to claw at his own face haunted the darkness behind them. Ace narrowed his eyes, the light starting to blind him, suddenly they were tearing through the short shrubs nestled between the edge of the forest. The clearing opened up wide before them. They had made it. The large circle of wagons hugged a blazing bonfire, with not a soul outside. But it was unmistakable. They had made it to the Kumpania. Windows in Vardos began to open as wary faces peered out to see what had arrived, hushed whispers and arguing followed. Finally, a door opened and a figure stepped out to wave them eagerly inside one of the larger structures. “Come, come.. quickly now, prieteni”

The world had a golden film to it for a moment as dizziness reared its head again. Ace could feel his beast prowling deep inside, hungry, impatient. He could hold it off a bit longer if he tried. His gaze fell to Gremlin when she said his name. It almost broke his heart to see her so distressed. Raising a hand, he ran his thumb gently under one of her eyes, wicking away a tear as it fell and offering a kind, though weary, smile. "It's ok, Little Ghost. We're safe, let's go inside. These are good people." Her grip on his hand was so tight, yet he didn't discourage her or try to get her to loosen it. He'd chuckled earlier when she'd called him stupid back. Somehow, when she'd said it, it struck him as endearing. And maybe he had been. But it felt like the most natural thing to do in the moment, and if he had to do it over, he would have done the same thing again.

The figure waving them in waited anxiously, gaze darting to the woods now and then, and gave a wry smile as Ace jerked his head gently toward the Vardo and finally turned to acknowledge them. He focused his strength, moving toward the door and leading Gremlin inside. The figure turned out to be a female with long, wavy, auburn hair that had strands of shimmering gold, as well as tokens and ornamentation, woven here and there throughout. Her eyes were a rich brown, illuminated by an unnatural glow as the fire light struck them. "Come, come.. hurry up now. Looks like you two weren't just having a leisurely stroll in the woods, hmm? Aye... what a mess." She stepped aside to let them in. Ace wondered for a moment how the fire was still burning, given the rainfall, but the pain in his back quickly diverted his attention away from the anomaly. "Thank you. Tell your people to stay inside tonight. There could still be more Lupines out there."

The female nodded, her arm reaching out to grab Ace's bicep suddenly. "You need to eat." The luminous glow burned a little brighter, this time without the aid of the fire, and Ace knew she was a Ravnos. "Second cabinet on the right. I can stay with my grandmother tonight. Please, make yourselves at home. We'll square up in the morning, eh?" She chuckled, shooting Gremlin a warm look as she released him. "I have some dry clothes that may fit you, beauty. In the closet back by the bedroom. Well, I'm a little bigger, but I don't think it will be too bad. There's also a kit with some supplies to patch yourselves up in the bathroom and a very small shower. There should be some hot water left. Looks like you've been drug through the mud gem." She winked at Gremlin and headed for the door. "If you need anything, just yell, I'm Elena."

Ace smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Elena. I owe you and your Kumpania for the kindness." He completely forgot to introduce them, but he was feeling out of sorts. She waved him off, but the shimmer in her eyes said his offer of repayment was noted. "Rest now. The rain should stop soon, but morning will be here well before then." With the click of the door as it shut, she was gone. The Vardo was spacious and well lit, but it being so well lit made the Elder nervous. He felt exposed. He released Gremlins' hand and slid to the window to peer out into the clearing. He could see Elena disappear into a Vardo across the way and watched the lights go out slowly in the others as the Kumpania settled down. The forest was silent. If he still breathed, he would have sighed in relief. Apparently, the Patshiv here hadn't started. This was only one family group traveling together. Ace's back bumped against the wall, causing a grimace to contort his features. He needed to feed. Second cabinet.

The little kitchen in the corner was cozy and full of plants and strange containers filled with items and herbs he didn't recognize. He also had no intention of nosing around. His gut told him it was a bad idea. "Only touch what we have permission for, ok? The bathroom, the cabinet, the closet, and..." Oh god. The bed. Ace's gaze diverted quickly back to the cabinet. "You can have the bed, I'll take the couch." Where the hell were those blood packs? He crouched, opening the cabinet and shoving his face in while he rummaged, his voice now muffled as he spoke. "Go ahead and take a shower first if you like. You got a little bigger kiss from the earth than I did, apparently. And here.." He turned, holding up a blood pack. "You could probably do with a boost. Did you get hurt?" He felt like an a*****e all of a sudden, he hadn't even checked until now. Ace stood and brought the pack to her, his eyes doing a quick check. He couldn't see anything but she was.. pretty coated in mud.

Ace looked perplexed when she mentioned his wound, he knew, but he realized now that she hadn't seen his back yet. It had been too dark outside. He waved it off and chuckled lightly, his breath catching as he winced mid-sentence. "I'm fine, I'm f-fine. Just a little cut. Like a cat scratch. It's not a big deal." But no sooner had he spoken than she was letting it all out, he hadnt realized she would blame herself this much. To him it was all just unfortunate chance and it caused a pain in his chest as he watched her face, and those beautiful eyes, while she spoke. Poor thing. She really must have been terrified. Hell, he had been terrified. His mind tried not to replay the events, going over what might have happened had she not managed to get her sheet over the Werewolf's head, or if he hadn't been able to pull one more Horrid Reality.

His gaze softened, a little frown creasing his brow as she bore the burden for what happened, for his injuries, for the Werewolves. Ace moved closer and put a hand on her shoulder gently. "Little Ghost, you can't blame yourself for what happened. Ultimately I led us this way so the blame could just as easily be mine." His voice was light, trying to stay calm and relaxed to ease the energy in the room, or maybe it was for him, to ease the pain in his chest. "But even then it doesn't do anyone any good to try and place blame in situations of chance. There could just as easily have been no Werewolves on that road tonight. It was misfortune. But fate chose to favor us in the end and here we are. Safe. So, please.. don't shoulder this burden, eh? At least, if you really want to be blamed, let me shoulder some of it too. We can share. Now eat!" As he said it the hand on her shoulder slipped to her paw which he gently grasped and turned over, plopping the bag of blood in it. He smiled, patting it, and went to the cabinet to fish out the others that were in there.

As he popped one open he held it between his teeth and began to drink, the Beast recoiled for a moment at the tepid vitae but soon it calmed. Eager to be sated. Those deep blue eyes looked around a little while he drank, taking in everything possible in order to commit it to memory so that he could make sure the Vardo was exactly the same when they left the next night. As he turned, a little too sharply, to look at the bedroom from the main room he winced again. Damn scratch. He needed to get his shirt off so it didn't heal into his wound. His gaze half-slid to Gremlin and he quickly looked up toward the ceiling awkwardly, removing the bag for a moment. "Go ahead and take the shower, Gremlin. I need to.. clean out these wounds first."

Ace paused to consider and decided it was worth trying to convince her. "You should get that mud off anyway or you're going to itch like hell all night. The mud in these woods is, tch.. the hot water will help loosen it." The disapproving noise escaped him as he snatched the first aid kit from the shower room, which was really small, and popped the blood bag back between his lips. The Elder moved to the couch and opened the lid, rummaging through the contents for anything that could help. Sure, vampires healed fast, but Werewolf claws were nasty business and he already had enough scars. He grabbed some tweezers and gauze, a small bottle of alcohol and spread everything out on the little coffee table while he drank deeply and focused on his task.

Ace was so engrossed in trying to figure out what he needed that he hadn’t realized the struggle Gremlin was having with her blood bag. But the memory of her eyes, as she’d looked up at him when he'd handed it to her, was distracting him. He did his best not to stare at her instead of focusing on his task, another reason he hadn’t noticed. He was being weird. Why was he being so weird? Ok, maybe not outwardly but being around her made him feel strange. And Ace never felt like this. He was a flirt with a pretty woman, sure. But this was different. He was in uncharted waters.

He wasn’t sure if he had a reputation or not with women. Mostly because he didn't care, but also because while being a flirt and flexing his smooth tongue to get him a place to sleep or something to eat, he never actually slept with anyone anymore. In his youth, sure, everyone at that age walked around guided by their pula, but he’d lost interest in that a long time ago, maybe it was fear. He was too afraid of losing something, or someone, that mattered to him. So, he just didn’t. But why the hell was he thinking about this now?

He had been so deeply engrossed in his thoughts that he hadn’t heard her approach, his eyes flicking upward at the sound of her voice and a look of absolute uncertainty plastered itself across his face while he took in the sight before him. “Ce s-a întâmplat. Did it attack you?” His laugh was warm, setting down the items he’d been holding, wincing a little as he stood to take the bag from her. Oh s**t! Ok, she’d bitten into it. It made sense now why she was a mess. He quickly ran it over to the little basin in the kitchen and set it down to drain out, he didn’t blame her for not liking it, they tasted like s**t. “No worries, I know they aren’t… the best. But in a pinch they work fine.”

Ace rested his hands on the edge of the sink, he could feel his wounds trying to close but it was slow going. He’d used a lot of energy out there, energy he hadn’t really had much of to start with. He really needed to be better at remembering to feed more often so this didn't happen. He was hoping she would get in the shower so he could take his shirt off and heal without the fabric slipping in. If she didn’t hurry he’d probably have to lock himself in the bedroom. It wasn’t a matter of being a prude, hell, he could stroll butt-naked through the woods and not feel ashamed. He just, with women, it was more out of respect and the fact that he had marks that he didn’t care to explain or receive questions about. Not from someone he’d just met. Even after his embrace, they hadn’t healed. He wondered often if it was intentional. A reminder. It was better not to hold onto anything that could hurt you.

Ace couldn't help but laugh, she had a funny way of expressing her distaste but he found it charming. "You're right, you're right. It tastes like s**t. Though if someone is giving you choices like that it would probably be a good idea to get far away from them." He winked, moving past her to head back to the table where he resumed feeding from the bag. God, yeah. It was pretty awful. He didn't have a lot of choice at the moment unless he wanted to hunt. And he had neither the energy nor the desire to possibly head back out into the woods and find a pissed off Werewolf lying in wait.

He was still standing there when he heard the door to the shower close. As the water came on Ace glanced toward the area before quickly diverting his gaze back to the table. Right. First aid. His claws deftly undid the buttons of his cuffs, his dark locks shadowing that intense blue gaze as strands of hair fell into his face while he worked. Once he'd gotten the cuffs undone he shrugged the shirt off and laid it upon the table. He'd have to mend it later, he loved that damn shirt. His chest looked fairly unscathed in general, very little looked put of place aside from a long thing scar across his left pec down to his sternum and some strange slice marks along his right side. Nothing really worth hiding unless you were extremely a**l about your appearance.

It was when he turned that his hesitation began to make more sense. Along his spine from the nape of his neck to his tailbone were three long slashes, the middle one lay directly over his spine with the other two set on either side. Accompanying those was a set of the slashes from the edge of his shoulder, over across his shoulder blade, and ending just before it connected with the marks along his spine. This was mirrored on both sides and slightly resembled the Algiz rune. The damage from the Werewolf tonight was bright red and set horizontally across the old marks, the cuts deep but beginning to heal already. He'd managed to clean out the debris after a slight struggle, he wasnt going for immaculate. It wasnt like he had to worry about infection.

Ace finished off the first bag before tearing into the second, raising it to his lips he turned to face the bathroom. His hand slid up, running claws through his raven locks to get them out of his face. As modest as he could sometimes be, though not always, the man was definitely a delight to look at. Like most all Ravnos men. They just had something the other clans didnt, besides balls. It could easily have been the charisma they seemed to ooze, or maybe it was something darker. It didnt really matter when it came down to it. The gold of his cross glinted in the light overhead as he continued to drink. Contemplating his next move. Bed or couch.

Ace had nearly finished his drink, the fresh marks on his back finally starting to mend properly now thanks to the snack. What he wouldn't give for some hot vitae though. He let out a wistful sigh, maybe tomorrow night. He could rustle up something better once he'd had a decent days sleep, for now his body needed to rest. The ordeal they'd managed to survive had taken a lot out of them both. That memory again. When the Werewolf had threatened her life. He couldn't stop thinking of how he'd felt in that moment, of wanting to keep her safe even if it meant losing everything. His fist clenched tight. The memory alone made him consider leaving to put the Marhime down for good. But that would have been a dumb thing to do now. Who knew if he was even in decent enough shape to kill it.

Having been so deeply invested in his anger over the threat to Gremlin he hadn't been paying attention to what was going on. All that changed when he noticed how quiet it had become. Ace's attention suddenly shifted, realizing the water had turned off. That and the bathroom door was standing open. How long had it been open? And where was sh- he didn't have long to wait as a very naked Gremlin was suddenly standing in the hallway, staring at him, like she'd appeared out of thin air. Ace froze, a deer in the headlights, not a muscle twitched. The situation was beyond strange. Mostly because he had taken her for being on the shy side, and he highly doubted he'd done anything worth her deciding she wanted to throw her gorgeous, naked body at him.

Ohgod. She was so naked. The towel, if you could call it that, hid little and, as his gut was screaming at him to turn around, or shut his eyes, or do anything at all, he was instead glued to the spot. Staring. What the hell was she doing? What the hell was he doing? He felt a stir inside of him, like an electric shock to the system. He hadn't felt that in a long time. And not like this. Something about Gremlin standing there, staring at him the way she was, with those alluring red eyes that reminded him of rubies or garnets... god, she was beautiful.

He couldn't quite understand them, the feelings that kept surfacing. There was something deep there, deeper than just the fact that he was fighting the urge to go to her. The sudden nature of that urge alone was confusing enough. He couldnt remember the last time he'd wanted someone the way he suddenly realized he wanted her right now. But he pushed that thought back down, smothering it. Somehow the signal here was too mixed. He didn't quite know what was happening, but he felt like if he did go to her he would be misunderstanding something important. How long was she going to stand there, and her face, the expression, what was that? Before he could ask what she was doing she had started backing up and then vanished into the bathroom altogether.

What the ******** just happened? The blood pack fell out of Ace's mouth and hit the floor with a loud splat as his jaw loosened, the first muscle to move. He blinked rapidly and sucked in a hissing breath. "s**t." Luckily there was barely anything left. He quickly cleaned up the mess, his gaze shifting to the space where she'd been standing moments before as he tried to work out what had just transpired. Suddenly he realized. She didn't have any clothes. A sigh of relief followed the epiphany, happy he hadn't tried to make a move. That would have been extremely awkward. "God Ace, what a ******** up that would have been, tch..." His voice was a whisper as he headed for the closet in the bedroom, talking to himself. But had she thought he'd left? Why walk out naked if she knew he was there? He had no answer for that.

The male found himself a black button up shirt and threw it on before he rummaged about to find something for Gremlin. The only sleep attire being some kind of white nightgown. But it looked like it would fit, maybe a little long, hopefully it would be all right. As he turned to head for the bathroom he paused, his gaze coming to rest on the bed. He smiled faintly and reached forward, stealing the sheet off the mattress and folding it atop the nightgown. As he made his way toward the bathroom door he felt nervous. He couldn't get the image out of his head and his stomach tightened in response, he needed to calm down. Ace leaned his back against the doorframe and knocked softly on the wood with his knuckles. "Uh, I realized you forgot to bring some clothes to change into. Figured you might need something." He slowly opened the door a crack, keeping his gaze averted as a hand slid in, presenting both items for her to take.

For a second, he thought he'd heard laughter coming softly from the other side of the door and Ace's brows furrowed, mildly concerned. Or was that sobbing? He felt helpless, unsure of what he should do in a moment like this. There was a little sense of relief when she took the clothing, good, all right, maybe she was ok. The soft 'Thank you.' made him smile. "You're welcome." His voice was calm, even, as if nothing had happened. The male crossed his arms over his chest, leaning his head back against the door frame as he tried to process everything that had just happened. It was hard to forget.

The image of Gremlin naked in the hallway holding that... he still couldnt quite call it a towel. Washcloth? Hand towel? Whatever it was. It was too awkard and shook to the surface too many feelings for him to really allow himself to take it lightly. He had to stop dwelling on it for now, epecially since it had been an accident. He almost felt guilty that he couldn't shake it. His half-lidded gaze stared at the wall across from him, not really seeing it but rather stuck in his own head. He needed to sleep. Maybe that would help.

As the bathroom door opened his head rolled to the side to see what kind of state she was in. Ah, back to her ghostly ways. Ohgod. She'd cut holes in the linens. Ace chuckled and gave her a warm smile. "Better little ghost?" He'd just leave some coin for new sheets. No harm. He was sure their host would understand if compensated. Besides, she seemed so much happier now and he wasn't about to ruin that.

"Let's get these in the basin to soak, shall we?" He gathered up her mud soaked clothes off the bathroom floor and took them to the kitchen, filling the basin with fresh water so everything could sit and the mud would hopefully loosen up while they slept. Shaking his hands, ridding them of excess water, he looked down at his own clothing. Ah, yeah. He still needed a shower himself.

"It's been a long night, Gremlin. You must be worn out. If you're ready the beds that way." He used two claws to point toward the room he'd stolen the sheet from. It had a big downy comforter, several pillows and a door she could shut if it made her feel safer. "I need to grab a quick wash. You might be squeaky clean now, but I'm still a mess." Ace laughed, his eyes lighting up as he did. But his comment about her being squeaky clean just brought the incident to the forefront of his mind and the Elder coughed, heading for the cabinet to grab himself a larger towel. Considering there wasn't exactly a change of clothes for him in here he would have to figure something else out. The shirt must have been an old lovers, so he had that at least. Lucky him.