In the deepest part of the forest, there laid a small tavern and inn. It's cheery wood walls were such a refreshing sight among the sea of snowflakes. Inside, the warm glow of gas lamps made it seem like a whole other world. It wasn't cold like the rest of the planet had become. One's heart could actually feel some sense of fullness here; Something that seemed almost foreign to the remaining occupants of the planet.

A handful of the few left on this forsaken existence maintained and lived in this building. It had been built back up after everything was almost all destroyed. A few of the major cities still stood in ruins, but for the most parts, suborns and small towns were nonexistent. This building was in the midst of nowhere. Yet, everyone knew about it because of the fact it was one of the few left. The only distinctive factor to find it was the black river running just a little ways outside of the front door.

Kuza's eyes lingered over the ink-like substance that ran for miles through this forest. They had now followed it for almost a half a mile and finally saw the tavern through the mask of the eternal storm. He glanced to his side, seeing how small and fragile Ghost had become in just the last hour. Her arms were wrapped around her so tightly as she shook.

He first took the massive leap over the narrow river. Kuza almost fell to his knees in his landed, just managing to catch himself. It was hard to hear anything over this wind. He simply gestured Ghost towards a few rocks in the water. Kuza offered his hand over to her. She cautiously reached across and took it. Delicately, the demonic princess stepped on the stones. He gave her a bit of a help up to the shore.

Inside the tavern, a group of lost ones were caught up in their normal daily routines. Chris wiped down every inch of the bar, sighing when he reached the one thing on the counter top that was the hardest to move. Ricky hadn't even noticed the glare his best friend was giving him. He was too infatuated in his lover's eyes. Ryan stood in front of him while Ricky sat on the bar. The two pecked each other's lips, giggling ridiculously.

"Would you two mind?" Chris asked, annoyed.

"Yes, actually." Ricky patronized him, "I don't want to move."

"Fine, but you better clean off the rest of the bar whenever you move your ass. I'm going to take a shower." He muttered. Chris walked around the side of the bar, heading for the stairs.

"I will, grump." He responded, keeping the last word quiet enough for just he and Ryan to hear.

Ryan's translucent eyes looked up at his lover. Most people, even their own kind, were disturbed by the lack of color in his irises. Looking into them was like looking into water in a porcelain sink. "You can't really blame him for being so unhappy though. He is dying, after all." He said.

"Waita bring the mood down," Ricky sighed and looked down at his lap, "I... just don't want to think about it."

His head whipped up when he heard the door open. It rarely ever budged. The rush of cold air came as a shock to the warm room. White winds twirled inside the inn. Kuza quickly pushed the door back closed, which proved to be a challenge against the raging weather. Just as he got it closed, his quick reflexes went to work catching Ghost before she collapsed.

"I'm sorry to intrude like this," He said, "But we're a little desperate for somewhere to stay. We don't have any kind of currency, but we'll work it off. Just please," Kuza sighed as he looked at Ghost, barely able to stay awake, "She hasn't slept or ate in days."

The gentleman at one of the tables, who had previously not said a word, spoke up, "You can stay, free of charge." Josh stood up from his chair. As he looked up, his pure black eyes were striking to nearly anyone when they first encountered him. "We don't really see a need for currency anymore, with the way everything is now. Ricky can show you to some rooms. We don't have much space left, but we should have enough."

Ricky hopped down from the counter. He ignored polishing the section he'd been sitting on. Ryan, not wanting to piss off Chris anymore, did it for him. He also wasn't in the mood for the two old friends to have a tempered argument again. The smaller wandered over to their new guests. His took sympathy in watching Ghost shutter and struggle to stay awake.

His eyes hit Kuza's and he had to resist gasping. Ricky cleared his throat, "I'm sorry. I don't mean to stare, but I've never seen a red-eyed creature before this."

"It's fine. I'm used to it. Can we please just take her to rest?" He asked.

"Yes. Right this way." Ricky waved his hand behind himself as he started to walk.

Kuza picked Ghost up bridal style and followed. They were brought up the stairs to a rather narrow hallway. The floorboards under him creaked as he walked. It smelled of pumpkin and spices here. In the days when Ghost was healthier and her and Kuza didn't need to seek help, their home wasn't much different than this. It brought back memories of a similar time.

The two had no romantic interest in each other. It was impossible to feel anything towards anyone that you weren't physically compatible with. That's not to say every creature with similar eyes won't hate each other either. There does have to be some passion that nature can't provide.

"We do have empty beds but we do not have empty rooms. I hope you don't mind sharing." Ricky told him.

"We don't care." He muttered. At this point, he would be grateful just to have somewhere to rest. It didn't matter if he was surrounded by twenty creatures.

Ricky gingerly knocked on the door in front of him. He sighed when the person inside the room was taking their sweet time in answering. These walls, though made of strong oak, leaked sound. They heard some crashing and cussing coming from the room. Ricky closed his eyes out of embarrassment for his youngest companion. He reopened them upon the door finally opening.

"Yeah? -Whoa." Vinny cut himself off when he saw the gorgeous girl in Kuza's arms.

"Please tell me your room is clean." Ricky spoke like a tired mother.

Vinny glanced behind himself, having to kick something out of the way just to get the door open. "Clerty." He responded.

Kuza raised one of his sharp eyebrows, "Clerty?"

"Not clean, not dirty; Clerty."

"It's his way of making up a reason why he doesn't ever clean his goddamn room." Ricky sneered. He took in a breath to calm himself, "The only two free beds in the house are in your room and Chris'. I'm, for some fucking reason, going to trust you to share a room with her. Please clean your room behind she wakes up."

"Fiiiinnee." He groaned. Vinny let his eyes drawl along her beautiful face. Somehow, it made him lose his high school attitude. "What's her name?"

"Uh- Fuck. I never asked, actually." Ricky glanced up at Kuza, "I'm sorry to be so rude."

Cautiously, Kuza stepped through the danger zone that Vinny dared to call a floor. He opted for laying her down on the bed that was made, versus the one cluttered with crumbs and dirty clothes. "It's alright. I was too focused on getting her to a bed to bother with introductions. Her name is Ghost. Mine is Kuza."

"My name is Ricky. This is Vinny and the two you saw downstairs are Josh and Ryan. I'm sure eventually you'll run into Ryan-Ashley too. She's the only girl in the whole house. Well, was." He said, "Are you two bound?"

Ricky hadn't gotten a good look at her eyes before they were shut. He had no way of knowing, though it would be miracle if they were. Actually, he thought, it would be more of a miracle if they weren't.

Kuza pulled a blanket over Ghost with care. It was obvious to anyone that she meant a lot to him. Ricky wasn't wrong to assume they could be together. The love they shared had only developed out of loneliness. The two of them had no one else.

"No. She and I are not the same breed." He forced a small chuckle, "It'd be cold day in Hell before I found someone I was able to mate with."

"Welp," Vinny plopped down on his bed, "Guess Hell just froze over."

His eyes lagged over to Ricky. He said nothing as he waited on an explanation. Ricky couldn't exactly read his expression either. It seemed angry but at the same time came off as numb. You'd think he would be excited to hear he had a possibility of not dying. He'd been fed a lot of false hope over the years, though.